Bloody Petals
by Ren-sama23
Summary: The rift between the Vampire Council and the Hunters' Association is getting larger; and Zero, a professional hunter, was sent to a school in the north as a spy to monitor vampire activities. How will things turn out if the so-called hunter spy suddenly found himself turned into a vampire? Yaoi. KanameXZero.
1. Chapter 1

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Happy New Year to everyone! And since this is New year now, I would like to start a new fict of mine. I said that this will be a new fict, but actually it's been in my laptop since forever. But this is its first time to be read by someone else so I guess it's still kind of new!**

**Disclaimer: The characters here are from 'Vampire Knight'. But the story itself is of my own creation (though it was still kind of based on the original). The characters might be a little OOC because the plot is different, but please enjoy!**

**Warnings: Yaoi, language, grammar, bloodiness, Aido…**

**P.S. Zero is the ultimate uke in this fan fict so I'm really sorry to those who want him as the seme. This fict is mainly KanameXZero… but there is also some sort of AidoXZero. ˆoˆ**

**Anyway, let's start, shall we?**

**.**

**Chapter 1**

The sun was about to set and everything was slowly being engulfed by darkness. The bright orb's almost crimson rays were painting everything with an equally perfect crimson color.

Six men stood inside a room of a private building, oblivious of the beautiful scene outside their glass window.

"You know very well that things had gotten out of hand. The conflict between The Hunter's Association and the Vampire Council is reaching its maximum and a war is about to break. This is a very dangerous mission for you, Zero Kiryuu-kun. Are you sure you don't want anyone's company? Even though you're from the Elite Force… being alone is still…" An old man with menacing ash-colored eyes said. He was sitting in his office, with two seemingly strong bodyguards by his sides, while talking to a young hunter with silver hair and amethyst eyes. The hunter was standing in front of him together with two other men by his sides. He, however, didn't look offended or scared by what he just heard.

It's true that he was from the _Elite Force_, the special group of hunters who had far exceeded other hunters and was allowed to move on their own even without the Hunter's Association's permission, or make important decisions by themselves if the situation required it. They were highly praised and looked up to by other hunters and were considered to be the secret, and the strongest, fighters who could even fight on their own against dozens of noble vampires. Some older members of the Elite Force were Zero's master, Yagari Toga, and the chairman of the school where Zero would be transferred, Kaien Cross.

"I understand the risk, Mr. President." Zero answered in a cool tone, the one he always used when talking to other hunters. "My decision to take the mission alone remains. While it is good that I will have company, the risk of being found out is also higher if I have a partner."

The old man smiled in a satisfied manner, as if the young hunter's answer was what he was hoping for in the first place. "Well, I expect good results from you, the very best hunter among his age group, and also someone who even exceeds many of the older hunters in the Elite Force. Kiryuu-kun, you don't have to give me satisfactory results immediately. You can just observe everything for a while. Well, that's it. Good luck with your mission. And don't forget–"

"I understand." Kiryuu bowed, cutting the old man from his words. "Mission is everything. Life is nothing before it." The old man nodded in satisfaction again.

Zero bowed again before he turned around together with his two companions and left the room without making any sound. All of them were so used to walking and moving very quietly because of their profession, and no one would even question it inside their headquarter. Since every hunter had a vampire blood in them because of the curse they got from their ancestors, they too sometimes moved or attacked in a very vampire-like manner, like walking very silently or having a very keen hearing and sight, though those abilities were still nowhere before real vampire senses.

"Are you really sure about your decision, kid?" Yagari, Zero's master who was with him in the room, asked quietly. "Spying on the enemy is a very dangerous mission, even if you will be put in the so-called day class which is different from the night class where those bloodsuckers are."

"You worry too much, master." Zero sighed. He knew his master was just worried about him and all. But he still wanted his master to acknowledge him as a young hunter who had accomplished many dangerous missions and not simply a mere kid who could only rely on his master to survive.

"I don't know, kid. I just have a very bad feeling about this." Yagari brought out a stick of cigarette and put it in his mouth. He lit it with his lighter and looked at Zero again. "Be careful. And remember,–"

"Mission is everything. Life is nothing before it." His other companion named Yuzuru continued while smiling. The guy was also in the Elite Force and was older from Zero by a year. He was also Yagari's student, just like Zero. His light-brunette hair fluttered slightly as he looked at Yagari and his emerald eyes shone as they reflected the light from the cigarette.

Zero couldn't help but also repeat the same words, but with a more serious face and dedication. "Yes, mission is everything. Life is nothing before it." The words carry a very deep meaning in them and the hunters were all treating the vow as truth. They would all gladly die for the sake of their mission because a failure in doing a mission is the same as dying for them. The honor and dignity one would lose, not to mention the payment, after a failed mission would make him wish that he was dead instead.

"But even though that is the Elite Force's vow," Yagari scratched the back of his head as he puffed smoke in the air. "Don't get too careless and rash to your death, kid."

"I know, master." Zero answered. Even though the mission was really important for them, they all knew that it would not be accomplished if they were nothing but cold corpses. Their life should be dedicated to completing their missions so it was idiocy to rush one's own death.

"And don't forget to smile at your vampire-to-be friends at school." Yuzuru chuckled. "You won't get any inside information if you don't mingle with them."

"I don't care about them." Zero could feel his blood boiling just at the sound of the word _vampire_. He now wondered how long he would be able to restrain himself before he started killing them all inside that school. "I can get the information I want without talking to them."

"Yuzuru is right, kid." Yagari said. "Even I am against befriending those demons. But for the sake of the mission, I'll gladly do so with gritted teeth."

"Well, that's Zero for you." Yuzuru chuckled again. "He's the most snobbish and unsociable guy I've ever met after all… I bet he won't even have any human friends there."

"Shut up." Zero muttered. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"I have a mission actually." His senpai answered after chuckling. "But I figured you might get too lonely without me in that school, so master and I will accompany you outside the headquarters."

"Shut up. I will be happier without you. Besides, I can walk on my own. And I don't need a tour guide to show the way outside of my home." Zero said. Yuzuru merely chuckled but what Zero said was true. He was currently living in the headquarters so it was like a home to him. He used to live together with Yagari during his childhood but he left the house when he became a professional hunter and decided to live in their headquarters, just like most of the hunters who had no family did.

The three of them walked in corridors quietly, passing by some important people and bowing to them, greeting other hunters, and chatting silently. Well, it was Yuzuru who mostly did the talking because Zero was not very cooperative and Yagari had a cigarette stuck in his mouth so he didn't want to talk too much.

"So, good luck, kid." Yagari patted Zero's back as the latter stepped inside a black car. The driver who was waiting patiently earlier immediately went inside and turned the engine on. The car immediately roared to life as Yagari gave his disciple a parental smile. The feeling of foreboding was making him choke. If he wasn't a professional hunter and a strong man, he would've rushed to the President's room once again and pleaded for Zero's mission to be given to someone else. But he knew his disciple would see that as him looking down at the younger hunter's capabilities, and he didn't want Zero to feel anything like that so he hid his concern inside his almost steel heart. "I hope to see you sometime soon."

"I will definitely go back." Zero said casually, but his two companions knew it was a sort of oath for Zero. They smiled to themselves as they saw how their silver-haired hunter was maturing.

"Please don't bring a vampire with you as a gift or souvenir, okay?" Yuzuru joked as he rubbed his surly kouhai's silver hair. Zero gave them one last glance before he closed the tinted car window. The car immediately drove away and the two stared at it until it vanished as it turned into a corner of the busy city street.

Yagari looked at the gathering dark clouds and emerging moon, and knew that the bad feeling he had had something to do with Zero's mission after all. His instincts were almost never wrong. He just hoped that whatever it was that would test his disciple, whom he treated as his own son, would not be so dire that he would have to come to the rescue. He was brought out from his musings when he heard Yuzuru's voice.

"It seems like the thunderstorm in the weather report yesterday will come upon us sooner than expected. I hope Zero has an umbrella." He uttered. "Well, I better get going. See you, master!"

"Ah, yes. Good luck in your mission." Yagari said distractedly. "Mission is everything…"

"Life is nothing before it." Yuzuru grinned. "I know, master. And don't you worry too much about that brat. Your real age is showing on your face." And he walked away while laughing. Yagari puffed another smoke-filled breathe in the air as he lit another cigarette. He couldn't help but smile at his older disciple's comment. Maybe he was really just worrying too much. Zero could handle himself well and his mission, though a very dangerous one, would also be a success. He went inside the building just as the rain started pouring down.

Everyone immediately brought out their umbrellas. The others who had nothing of the sort used their hands to cover a part of their head while running for some roofs.

Zero watched them quietly inside the car. His palm was on his chin and his elbow was leaning on the closed window. He could see those people outside running from the rain. He thought how oblivious they were of their surroundings. They didn't even know that the streets and other places they were walking to were reeking of and being crawled upon by so many bloodsuckers ready to devour them the second their guard was low. _They were all ignorant of everything…_ He thought about his childhood and how he was also like that back then, before he became a hunter and encountered those demons in human skin.

Although he had no personal hatred for the vampires, the ideologies of a hunter were drilled so much in his brain that he could hardly accept those creatures as something that should walk upon the face of the earth, even those so-called nobles and purebloods.

He opened his eyes and was a bit surprised that he fell asleep. He didn't realize he was still a little tired because of his mission yesterday. He and an equally quiet guy named Leon was sent to Clidoren, a city far in the east, to exterminate some level E vampires. The two of them were very skilled but the dozens and dozens of level Es tired them out, especially because the bastards just had no sense of secrecy and kept on attacking humans in the city at night. They had to erase every human's memories in the area and they also had to cover-up everything. The mission took longer than usual but it was a success, like everything the Elite Force did. But he was tired and he just got back earlier. He had no sleep for three days now.

This infiltration mission was already given to him about a week ago and his luggage was delivered to the school yesterday while he was still in his other mission. What happened earlier in the president's room was just a simple debriefing in case he forgot something or wanted to ask more questions before he left. The old man suggested for him to have a partner in the spying mission but he argued that it was too dangerous to have more than one spy in an area because there was always the risk of getting found out if there were too many movements from hunter-reeking individuals. Zero knew that it was just as dangerous if he was alone, but at least then, he wouldn't have to worry about anything but his own survival and his mission. He couldn't afford to worry about other people while he was in a mission because it would only make the mission more difficult. It seemed the old man understood his reasons and agreed. His master was against it but Yagari wouldn't be able to argue against the president after all.

Zero sighed as he leaned his head on the window and took some more naps. He needed to relax his system. Because after he arrived in the school, he would be on constant lookout for any movements and he needed to raise his guard even higher there, in the den of those beasts.

He was once again awoken by a roaring sound. The flash of lightning and the sound of thunder echoed as the rain poured down heavily. Almost all the people in the supposed busy street to the train station were gone and those who were still bravely walking under the sudden thunderstorm were visibly trembling under their umbrellas. He remembered Yuzuru saying something about thunderstorm yesterday but he wasn't listening then. Now, he realized he had no umbrella to use.

The car halted in front of the train station and Zero immediately sprinted gracefully out of the car and into the station. His ticket was ready and he only had to board the train. He quietly walked inside the station while wishing the thunder would stop. His keen hearing was doing nothing but buzz because of too much vibration of sound wave. He shook his head gently to try to get the feeling off but it was no use. It's one of the main reasons why he didn't like going in a mission when the weather was bad, because it could dampen his senses.

He went aboard the train and sat in his seat number. His compartment was a first class one so he was the only one inside. It was cold inside the train because of the air conditioner but he could tolerate it. Although, it could have been a lot better if he weren't wet.

After a while, he heard some knocks on the door and his immediate response was to pull out his silver gun, the Bloody Rose. It was bound to his lower knee by a thin rope so it could escape the inspection and the metal detector, which was mostly placed from the head to the torso. The knock was repeated when he didn't answer and he slowly opened the door. He immediately put the gun behind him when he saw a middle-aged female in uniform. His reflex was very swift that the female didn't even notice he was holding something just a second ago. She smiled at him ignorantly.

"You ticket please, sir." She said. She looked at Zero's clothes before she looked at his face again. He was wearing a white tuxedo which was fitted to his slender but well-built body. Some of its upper buttons were open and his upper chest was deliciously exposed. His creamy skin together with his silver hair complemented the clothes very well and he looked really gorgeous with his silver earrings and all, except for the fact that he was wet because of the rain earlier. And yet, ironically, it also added to his natural charm.

"Oh, here." Zero brought out his wallet and took the ticket. He handed in his ticket and the female read it before she put a stamp onto it and put it in her bag. She gave Zero another ticket, which was green in color. The other one was yellow. The green-colored ticket was the passenger's copy of the ticket.

"Thank you, sir." She bowed before she smiled again. She took another glance at Zero before she walked away with a smile on her face. Zero closed the door again. He sighed as he sat on the soft sofa. He had no idea why the lady looked happy but he was sure she was making fun of his clothing. He told Yuzuru earlier to help him prepare decent clothes and that was his senpai's definition of what it was to be decent. And he wasn't even going to any company business or a party. He was just going to a school, for goodness's sake. He sighed again. He now wondered if that's also the reason why the old man's lips were twitching earlier when he came into the room. And if that's also the reason why his master looked dumbstruck when he first saw Zero.

"_Damn Yuzuru…" _He thought. _"He'll definitely get it when I get back from this mission…"_

He felt the gun behind him and put it back on his lower knee. He stretched his arms as his eyes darted outside. He couldn't see anything outside the glass window except million droplets of rain trying to enter his compartment in vain. In the end, he decided it was a vain attempt to try and see the view in the dark anyway so he just let his eyelids drop as he was pulled into the depth of slumber.

_It was raining and his little twin brother was crying in their bed. He had flu and he couldn't sleep because the thunder was so loud it scared him so much._

"_Don't cry, Ichiru." Zero said as he gently brushed a towel on his brother's hot forehead and cheeks. Their parents were out hunting and only the two of them were in the house. _

"_Zero, don't leave me here alone." Ichiru mumbled. His body was trembling and Zero was so afraid for his brother he didn't know what to do._

"_I won't leave you. I promise…" He couldn't do anything but hug his brother to sleep. _

_He felt his brother's burning body but he didn't mind. His brother needed him and he would definitely protect Ichiru. The burning of his brother's body continued until it already hurt even his skin. He opened his eyes again and saw, to his shock and utter fear, that everything was burning. Ichiru was burning but he was still hugging Zero. Zero was too scared of what was happening that he tried to grab the basin filled with lukewarm water and splashed it on his brother. But on the basin was not water anymore but blood. Zero was so frightened that he instinctively threw the basin away._

"_Zero… Zero… You said you'll protect me…" Ichiru smiled. "So don't let go…"_

"_Ichiru!" Zero shouted as he tried to struggle from his brother's grip. He felt himself get engulfed in the flame and his whole body was devoured, unable to return and unable to live again._

His eyes opened with a start. He was sweating coldly and he was trembling, from the dream or from the coldness, he didn't know. His fists were clenching his white tuxedo, and they were very pale. He breathed deeply as he tried to calm himself down. He looked outside and saw that it was still raining hard, though the thunders had stopped. The feeling of the heavy metal on his lower knee somehow calmed him down. He reached for it and touched it with his fingers. The cursive inscription on its side always reminded him of his past. He sat straightly and closed his eyes again. Now he was afraid to sleep. Those pieces of his past were supposed to be buried deep inside him, sealed and forever forgotten. He wondered why he was dreaming of them now.

He looked at his watch and saw that an hour and a half had past since he fell asleep, since it was now 9 in the evening. He decided to stand up and go to the dining area. He was always a first class passenger so he knew that there was a meal waiting for him in the dining section. It's not as if he was a big time hunter. It's just that the money that hunters used for their mission were from the Association and not from their own pockets. That's why they could spend out all their mission money while saving their own income. Others might say it was cheating, but that's how the hunters operate.

He went out of his compartment and walked quietly along the carpeted corridor of the train. He continued walking until he reached the dining section. There were people eating merrily and there were those who preferred to eat alone. Some of the passengers glanced at him when he walked in the area but there were those who really did nothing but stare at him, forgetting their own meals at the same time. He was still basically wet because of the rain and his sweat, and he was slightly trembling due to coldness, but his overall appearance didn't change much from earlier. He was still as gorgeous as ever, and other people couldn't help but stare at him with unmistakable awe and admiration. Some of the older women who were also first class passengers were even staring at him with their eyes full of lust.

He sat in a vacant table and a waiter immediately approached him and asked for his order. He read the menu quietly and decided to just order _carbonara_ and a glass of hot milk. The waiter stared at him for a while when he said his order. It seemed the old man was a bit surprised that he, a person of such cool demeanor, would drink milk during dinner. And moreover, carbonara was still basically pasta with lots of milk. When Zero gave one cold glare, the waiter immediately understood that he was not joking and wrote his order on a piece of paper before he went to the counter to get it cooked.

Zero waited for a while, doing nothing but stare outside the glass window where he couldn't even make out anything because of the torrent. He didn't know how long he stared at the darkness absentmindedly but he knew a while had passed before his order was given to him by the same waiter.

"Would you like some towel, sir?" He asked kindly, glancing at Zero's attire, but Zero merely shook his head before he started eating his carbonara.

The old man shook his head before he left the hunter's side and attended to other passengers' needs. Zero took his first half-mouthful of pasta and he was once again reminded that the dish was Ichiru's favorite. He used to cook carbonara for his twin brother when they were young and the dish just became his favorite as well. Ichiru was also a bit thin and Zero always made milk for him. If Ichiru didn't want to drink it, it was Zero who did so despite having his own glass. He didn't know when it started, but now he had the tendency to drink milk whenever he had a nightmare concerning his twin brother. Or rather, he had the tendency to drink milk always. The milk was making him feel calmer and more in control.

He took his time to eat and almost twenty minutes had already passed when he finished his supposed dinner. He stood up from his seat and walked silently towards the other train compartment. The waiter bowed to him as he left.

The train was about to take a stop and that place was where he was going. He returned to his compartment and sat on the sofa again. The rain had almost stopped but he had no intention of looking outside anymore. His mission was about to start and he had to prepare himself not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The school where he was going to was a den full of those beasts in human form after all. He brought out his wallet once again and stared at the picture inside.

In the picture was a family of four members. The father looked very much like Zero, mature and handsome, and the two little twins on the man's sides looked like miniature versions of him. The mother, a very beautiful woman with long brunette hair ponytailed at the back, was smiling like everyone else. The photo, as seen in its background, was taken in a very bright and sunny place, away from the real environment where the kids lived and the parents worked.

Zero sighed as he stared at the photo with so much longing and grief. Even after ten years, the pain and the trauma that that tragic night caused was still so great that it could sometimes still make him tremble and make his mind completely stop. During those times, his master was the one who would take care of him and excuse him from any hunter mission.

"_Father, Mother, Ichiru… I'll make sure to make this mission a success as well." _He thought strongly before he mumbled. "I'm so sorry…" He bit his lower lip very hard to prevent his heart from shattering even more and to stop himself from whimpering. He still couldn't bear to look at their smiling faces in the picture without his tears flowing endlessly.

In the end, he had to put his wallet back in his tux's inside pocket and take his attention to somewhere else. As usual, it was the touch of the heavy metal on his skin that was able to calm him down. Bloody Rose was his partner and his savior. And it was the only memento he had of his past, the only thing which didn't turn into dust that night while everything else did. Right now, the Association was everything to him and its laws and missions were his life. He was now dedicating his entire life into serving the Elite Force and exterminating those demons. He knew he was nothing if it wasn't for the Association and he would do everything, even sacrificing his meager life, just to help bring about its ideals and doctrines.

"_I will do everything for the sake of the Association…" _He recited in his mind his mission in simple terms. He needed to infiltrate the school, Cross Academy, which was a den of vampires and gather information about their activities. He needed to learn what they were planning or if they had something going on under the surface of being mere students. He learned from the reports that a pureblood was ruling over the area so this dangerous mission was at least ten times more dangerous than any other infiltration. And as he felt the train slowed down, he recited the words that the Association deeply ingrained inside his mind. "Mission is everything. Life is nothing before it."

The train stopped fully and he walked out of the compartment and out of the train. Many people also scurried together with him and many more boarded. He knew this particular mission was so dangerous it could get him killed any second that passed. That's why he made sure to go alone. After a while of standing on the platform, he grew tired and sat in one of the benches used by waiting passengers. He had no baggage so it wasn't annoying to travel, unlike the family sitting on the same bench who were just a meter away from him.

The father had a son and a daughter, both were little kids. The mother was carrying the little girl while the father was standing beside their awfully heavy-looking and big travelling bags and luggage. These people too, Zero thought, had no idea how dangerous the place that they were in was. They had no idea there were a whole bunch of vampires studying in a school just some five kilometers from the station. And for a vampire, five kilometers were nothing more than some minutes' worth of travel.

After some more minutes of observing other passengers, Zero had had enough and decided to leave the place even though it was still drizzling. It was a dark night with no moon in sight. Vampires liked to roam the streets during these nights and make their move against their prey. It's not that Zero was afraid of them, but he was afraid to make any ruckus just before he entered into a spying mission. Killing some Level D or even some Level Es would immediately tell other vampires that a hunter was in the place and he would immediately be observed. He didn't want to be found out so soon just after he entered the place. It would mean failure of his mission and he would rather die than go back to the headquarters with that kind of report, if he would even be able to go back after having been found out – especially in a territory ruled over by a pureblood.

He walked outside the station and onto the street. He thought that the Chairman of the school was supposed to escort him, but it seemed he was stood up. He sighed as he kept walking, oblivious to the curious glances people were throwing on him, and continued until he reached the outskirt of the city. By then, he was totally soaked with the rain and he had to stop in a waiting shed as he brought out the Bloody Rose. He tucked the gun in his belt, with only the holder popping out, and waited for the rain to turn back into a drizzle once more. The gun was still hidden from sight because of his tuxedo so he didn't mind that its holder was popping out.

After a while, when the rain had almost stopped, he started walking again. The school where he would be transferred was still almost five kilometers ahead and he knew his energy would run out by then because of the coldness. From that waiting shed onwards, there was nothing but deep and dark forest, and Zero instinctively knew that that forest was inhabited by vampires even if he couldn't feel anything from it right now. The road had curves but there was only one way. In between him and the road were nothing but huge trees that hid those creatures. He walked silently for a while, hearing nothing but the sound of water droplets on the pavement and the leaves grazing each other as the cold night wind blew.

He continued walking until he had covered at least two kilometers. There was nothing he could feel except emptiness so he was a bit low-guarded when he heard some swift movements in the forest. He immediately knew there was something off with the situation. _Vampires right off the bat. _The movement wasn't far from his position, but he didn't want to go and chase after it because his infiltration mission could be at risk. He waited for it to come but it didn't. He walked some quiet steps and the supposed body, or bodies, shifted in their position. _He's being observed. _He continued walking despite the annoying feeling of being stared at from every direction. He noticed now that the movements had increased.

"_Shit, more of them are coming this way." _He gritted his teeth as he continued walking silently. He wasn't even in the school yet, and he would most likely already be engaged in a battle. He didn't come in the place to directly attack everyone. He needed to make his moves as discreet and as unnoticed as possible. But with this new situation just upon his arrival, he knew he couldn't do that anymore. His instinct was shouting _danger _to him and he could feel more than twenty of them now. He was surrounded. His hunter sensor told him they were merely Level Es but his instincts were rampaging inside him, shouting for him to kill them all because it was dangerous. _"What a way to welcome me."_

He gripped the handle of the Bloody Rose just as the first attacker came flying at him. He instinctively pulled the gun from his belt and shot the Level E vampire in the head. The vampire, a male, immediately burst into dust when the silver bullet came in contact with him. The other vampires started attacking him from all sides and he fired incessantly but coolly at every one of them. They might just be merely Level Es but their movements were fiercer than any normal vampires because they followed only their instinct and the scent of blood.

After all, hunter blood could be a replacement for the thick and luscious blood of the purebloods because of its intoxicating scent and power. Of course, it was still nothing in comparison to the purebloods' but its unique scent could still excite vampires to no end. Hunters knew that very well and they often used that characteristic of their blood to lure out their enemies. It was one of their vampire-like characteristics and they often used it for their own benefits instead of fearing it.

Zero, however, could feel that he was getting in a more disadvantageous position as more and more enemies kept coming out and attacking him. He barely had the time to load his bullets and fire at his enemies as they attacked him in a very systematic way. He knew they were planning something because even though he had no ambition of chasing after them, he suddenly found himself being directed to the forest. They were attacking him and he was unconsciously taking a step backwards every time a vampire would come very close to him. In the end, he knew he was being guided into a very obvious trap, but he couldn't do anything because there were too many of them and there was only one of him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and he felt his right shoulder area getting hot. He didn't expect it to happen to him and he didn't think these vampires would do something so hunter-like. That's the main reason why he was low-guarded when someone from behind, not far from him, shot him using an unmistakable gun and the bullet went straight in his shoulder. He barely had time to turn around when two other bullets hit his two legs. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from crying in pain. He immediately hid behind a trunk and tried to search for the one who fired at him as he relentlessly fired at the vampires who kept on flying at him from everywhere. However, he couldn't even feel the aura of the one who shot him let alone see anything in the dark forest despite his keen vision. He knew the one who fired those bullets was no amateur in guns because of the areas where the bullets hit him and also because it was dark and mere Level E vision was not far from hunter senses at all. And yet that vampire managed to hit him. What's worse was the fact that the vampires were just too organized in their attacks. Zero couldn't help but feel that there was really something off in the place.

After a while, the number of the attacking vampires slowly decreased and Zero was just too thankful because he already knew that there was something inside the bullets that hit him. His legs were getting heavier together with his right shoulder and the pain was quickly spreading. He couldn't even feel the Bloody Rose in his hands anymore. All his mind could focus on was the excruciating pain in his shoulder and his legs. He was used to pain because this was not the first time he was shot by a gun. But this was an entirely different matter because the feeling was totally different. It's like there was something inside the bullet which made his pain several times worse and his shoulder several times heavier.

His exhaustion and the night's coldness was also another problem. He walked at least three kilometers because he didn't want to invite unnecessary burden by asking someone to take him into the school – especially since he was stood up by someone who was supposed to take to the school. He also knew his blood would attract vampires and other people would just be a burden for him if a battle started. But walking three kilometers alone at night, raining, soaking wet, and shivering from coldness could easily exhaust even a strong hunter like him.

"Shit…"He muttered as he felt his body getting heavier and heavier until he could no longer move. It was all he could do in order to not cry in agony. He fell on his sides beside the trunk of the tree where he hid and fired some more shots into the remaining vampires before everything went totally quiet, eerily quiet that Zero, though he couldn't move much now, didn't dare let his consciousness waver even a second. The ground was soaking wet and his white tuxedo was now filled with mud and ashes. Not to mention his own blood.

His body might be exhausted but his mind was another matter. He was alert and his senses where still active as earlier, although it was still dulled by the sound and scent of the rain. Everything was quiet, but then he felt that he was still not alone in the place. He gritted his teeth when he realized how utterly weak and vulnerable he was right now.

Despite the overwhelming pain in his right shoulder, he tried to grip the Bloody Rose tighter and readied for that unmistakable scent of a pureblood to come. When some minutes had passed and still nothing came, Zero decided to at least drag his body into an upright position. He was too vulnerable lying on his sides and he never liked it. But it was a wrong decision since just the slightest movement made his shoulder and legs tremble and the feeling that they were burning made him let out a stifled whimper. He didn't like that feeling at all, the feeling of fire gorging out his flesh. It always made him remember the tragedy that had occurred ten years ago.

He hated it so much… _fire, _that is.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Hi, there! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And yeah, I know my grammar isn't that good so please bear with me!**

**Please don't forget to leave some comments! Flames burn me so please refrain from doing that! See you in the next chapter! ˆoˆ**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Wah, I'm so touched! Thank you for all of your kind welcome and reviews! Thank you for those who favorite this fict even though there was only one chapter! **

**This is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy this too! ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 2**

The agonizing memories together with the physical pain that the silver-haired hunter was feeling made him unfocused on his surrounding for a while, and it was already too late when he realized that there was someone beside him. He didn't even have the time to point his gun to his enemy when his hand was stepped on repeatedly until his numbed hand lost its grip on the Bloody Rose. It was left there as he was dragged away by someone he couldn't even see clearly. His vision, he realized too late, was also affected by the pain and the exhaustion. It was blurry and he couldn't even see if his attacker was male or female. All he knew was that the vampire, a pureblood, was weak.

Even now that his body was too weak to move and could feel nothing except pain, his senses could still clearly tell that the vampire was very weak because its presence was barely registering in his senses. He could also smell large amount of blood coming from the pureblood. It was most likely the vampire's own blood and Zero knew that the enemy was also somehow injured. The vampire dragged him by the collar deeper and deeper into the forest until the vampire himself or herself was tired. Zero felt like his mind would break with every harsh movement coming from the vampire because his limbs reacted sorely to even the slightest change in his position. He gritted his teeth so hard just so he wouldn't cry in agony.

After a while, the pureblood briskly put his unmoving body down the wet ground. He was laid on his back just as his vision totally blacked out. He could feel the cold droplets of rain on his skin but it didn't lessen the sickening pain at all.

"I'll devour you here." The vampire said for the first time, and Zero knew from the voice that she was female. He felt his hunter senses turning red in alertness as the vampire leaned over him. He felt her long silky hair brushed his face and chest as she bent over. Her awfully attractive scent was too powerful now that she was so close.

"Get off me!" He tried to shout at the vampire whom he couldn't even see anymore as his visions totally blacked out. He felt his skin crawl when he heard the pureblood laughed.

"Getting excited won't do you any good, boy." She continued her advances until her mouth was just some inch from Zero's neck. "Just be quiet and savor my fangs in your neck deeply. You won't forget it for the rest of your life. Or rather, death."

Zero tried to struggle but his awfully painful limbs wouldn't let him even move an inch from his position. His left hand clutched the grasses that his fingers could grip, especially when the vampire jerked his head to the right to bite his left side of the neck. She jerked his tuxedo off his shoulder so his delicious-looking neck was exposed thoroughly.

"Hmmm… Hunter blood really smells so sweet and delicious…" Zero was gritting his teeth hard that it was already bleeding but he still screamed in extreme pain when the fangs suddenly sunk in his flesh and sucked the rich hunter blood flowing inside him. His keen hearing could clearly hear her gulping large amounts of blood almost every other second. The vampire continued to drink his blood until he was almost losing his consciousness. Zero tried his best to struggle at first but found it futile so he tried to forget about the pain of the fangs in his neck and concentrate on recovering his strength. Just as the vampire stopped for a while, Zero used that opportunity to at least move his hand and knock the vampire off of him. The pureblood was still quite weak but she was relatively far stronger than earlier. She didn't even budge from her position as she continued to drink from him.

"Damn you… I'll kill you…" Zero voiced as he felt his consciousness wavering because of blood loss. With this statement, she stopped and looked at her prey.

"What a nice expression you got there, boy. Not to mention your blood tastes a lot different than ordinary hunters… no, than ordinary human." She chuckled, obviously sated and deeply satisfied by thick hunter blood. "Alright. I won't kill you."

Zero was still surprised at what he heard that his mind didn't immediately process what it meant. He was always taught that hunters should not be captured by vampires at all costs, because that would mean nothing but their certain death. Hunter blood smelled so good and its taste was so intoxicating that vampire would not let a hunter live if he was captured. And also because hunters were the natural enemies of vampires that killing even just a single one of them was like adding a century to the vampires' lives and existence. Since the Hunter Association and the Vampire Council were almost on the brink of war now, news about vampires killing a hunter or hunters killing a pureblood were not that rare anymore. Of course, for the sake of formality, each side always tried to subdue the perpetrators just so it would not turn into an all-out war against each other.

Zero was pulled out of his earlier shock and was thrown into another when the vampire grabbed his jaw and forced his mouth open by purposefully gripping his aching shoulder tightly. Zero almost passed out from the intense pain and he let out an agonized scream just as the vampire put her lips against his and poured into his mouth what was an unmistakable thick liquid. He almost choked and his body involuntarily swallowed it even before he could stop his throat's natural reflex. Zero's eyes widened at the realization of what just happened and he immediately felt the reaction from inside him. _She gave him some of her blood… _His insides suddenly felt like it was burning. He pushed the vampire off of him in an instant just as he immediately clawed his neck and body to fight the burning sensation. His pain earlier was just like a mosquito bite in comparison to this new agony. He continued to scream while clawing himself until his voice turned hoarse and he could feel his remaining blood flowing out his body. Beside him was the unmistakable laughter of the female pureblood who had just given him a curse worse than a death sentence.

There were some movements from the bushes and she immediately stood up. "Oops, enemies… Well, you're on your own for now, boy. But I know that you will come to me soon. I, Shizuka Hiou, am your mother after all. Play with me again when that time happens."

Zero answered her with his repeated screams of agony just as she silently and gracefully walked away from the place. He didn't know how many hours had passed since he started screaming from the burning pain. He really thought he was on fire just as his body continued to heal and get clawed by his now sharp nails. His eyes, opening and closing in pain, was awfully crimson in color and his fangs had grown and was now biting into his lower lip just as he tried to stifle his screams. The enemies that the pureblood mentioned never came but Zero didn't even have the time to think about them as he fought the battle within himself. He didn't even have the time or the focus to feel other presence aside from his own. He walked in and out of consciousness several times and every time he could feel himself in a lesser and lesser pain.

This time, he woke up with more or less feeling no more burning sensation eating his body. He felt more exhausted than ever as he tried to make out his surrounding. His eyes hurt when some rays of the sun hit them. He tried to stand and found that he was too weak he could barely walk. The sun that used to be his light felt nothing more than an annoying ball of fire which threatened to burn him more.

"Shit… shit… shit… shit…" He kept muttering the same words as he tried to track the direction of the road. He glanced at where he came from and saw that the place was a pool of blood because of his wounds and repeated clawing. And speaking of wounds, the claw marks that he made some few hours ago were already healing rapidly and almost nothing but a pink flesh. His wounds from the bullets were still there and he stopped for a while to have a proper look at it. He tried to personally take the bullets out of his body, and after some more gritted teeth and stifled screams, he was able to take out of his limbs the things which made his earlier surprises nothing but a far cry from the new one right now.

What he was holding on his bloodied hand were unmistakably hunter bullets. Hunter bullets varied in color defending on their uses. The three bullets that was shot in him had an auburn color which was meant to make the vampires writhe in pain and make them immobile at the same time. It was meant for capturing noble vampires or purebloods, to avoid the unnecessary formal punishment of _accidentally _killing them. The silver bullet was for Level Ds and Es. They needed nothing more than that. _And those hunter bullets were never for humans._

"Damn it, what the hell is happening here..?" He muttered just as he found his Bloody Rose lying on the ground. He immediately went and retrieved it. Somehow, the shock of the earlier incidents made him blind to the more pressing dilemma that he was now facing. _He was just turned into a vampire…_

He saw his reflection on the metal surface of his gun and saw that his eyes were amethyst in color. That enabled him to relax. He didn't know what he would do if he saw his gun reflecting burning crimson eyes. He looked at the reflection of his fangs and saw that they already retracted. Now he didn't know if what he experienced was reality or if he was just hallucinating that everything really happened. His mind hoped so much that everything was just a result of his agony because of the wounds, but the sweet flavor of the liquid that the pureblood gave him still lingered in his mouth and he knew everything really happened. Not to mention that the sun felt really irritating right now.

"Damn!" He punched the nearby tree and it visibly trembled, creating a small crater on the part where his fist landed. "Damn it…" He gritted his teeth again as realization dawned upon him. He was a hunter and yet his carelessness resulted to this situation. His chest felt so tight and his tears couldn't help but flow down his cheeks as he realized he had no life anymore. Everyone in the Elite Force would also hunt him down and he would be nothing to them than a mere beast. His master, Yuzuru, everyone in the Association… his second family after his real family died, would now treat the Zero they knew as someone who died in his mission and he would be killed mercilessly by his own family…

If he was a bit younger, he would have immediately lost his mind. But he was now a young adult, at the age of eighteen, and a hunter at that. His mind was now stronger and more trained. The incident that he faced earlier was still so terrifying but he could nevertheless keep his fears and negative emotions at bay.

It was not the fear of dying that made his chest so tight and painful. It was the thought that the people he cared about would now look at him as an enemy. _As a monster inside human skin… _The pain in his heart was so intense that he couldn't help but sob as he leaned on the trunk that he also leaned on last night. He looked at the Bloody Rose and a thought hit him. Rather than being a monster, he'd rather die by his own hands. He'd rather kill himself than accept that he was now one of those beasts that walked the earth at night. He pointed the gun at the side of his head and was ready to shoot when he remembered something even more important.

"_Mission is everything. Life is nothing before it…" _His master's voice echoed inside his head and he looked straight ahead. The road, now cleansed from vampire ashes because of the incessant raining just a few hours ago, looked really bright and warm. He put the gun back to his lower knee and started walking towards the light. "I have a mission to do… I can't die yet…" He wiped the trail of tears off his cheeks as he started walking.

His left foot reached the light of the sun and he stopped. He was still under the shade of one of the trees in the area and he was afraid to burn again. He'd rather be shot with the Bloody Rose than die in any other way. He tried to raise his hand, into the ray of the sun. It hurt at first, but he knew his body could handle it. He stepped into the sunlight fully and he couldn't help but smile. It didn't hurt that much, at least not as much as what he experienced just a while ago. He looked at the sky and his eyes could barely see the now clearing sky before his eyes stung so he had to close them. He thought that there was a silver-lining in what he turned into, it was the fact that he could now infiltrate the school and gather information more thoroughly than when he was human. He could use this tragic incident to fulfill his mission. As he settled his resolve, he clenched his fists and breathed deeply. "Master, I will complete this mission… And I will die by my own hands…"

He started walking, but he didn't know which way he came from and which way he was supposed to be going anymore. The road was never-ending and the sceneries looked the same on both sides.

Fortunately, at that same time, a bright pink car passed by him and stopped some meters ahead of him. Zero stopped in his tracks and observed the car. It slowly went backwards until it reached his location again. The tinted glass of the driver's window winded down and a good-looking man with shoulder-length light brunette hair peeped out. He was wearing glasses and a smile. Zero looked at him for a while before he recognized the man as the legendary hunter and also the former member of Elite Force, Kaien Cross.

As what Zero learned, the man was also the Chairman of Cross Academy, the school that allowed vampires to roam free. He used to resent the man for actually letting that happen in his own school. Cross left the Elite Force and built a school were vampires and humans could co-exist. But now, he didn't know what to feel anymore, except for the fact that Cross was supposed to be also part of his mission. The Association wanted Zero to find out what's behind Cross's sudden desertion, or if he was now siding with the enemies. It was a very dangerous mission for Zero because Cross was not considered the legendary hunter for nothing. And if he was really siding with the enemy, it was certain that he would lead Zero to his death.

"Are you Kiryuu-kun?" Cross asked kindly. On the seat beside him, a girl, or rather, a teen with brunette hair and chocolate eyes also looked at Zero. Zero coolly looked at himself and saw, in his annoyance and dismay, that he looked like he just came out of a horror movie where his role was one of those half-eaten by the zombies. His tux was also tattered because of so much claw marks. On top of that, its supposedly white color was now completely crimson, with a nice shade of muddy brown here and there. _And it was the only one he got from Yuzuru… _He knew that the thing Yuzuru might give him next was a bullet in the head, and yet he didn't take better care of the annoying clothes. Zero was taken out of his daze when Cross repeated his question in the same manner.

"Yes." Zero answered.

"I knew it." Cross chuckled. "I am Kaien Cross, the Chairman of Cross Academy. You should get in." The words could have annoyed Zero but the man's tone was very kind so he wasn't offended at all. If Cross was an enemy, Zero knew he had to do something somehow.

"I am soaking wet. And I'm dirty." _In a lot of ways now…_ He answered again, still not moving from his earlier pose.

"Yagari said that you are stubborn." Cross chuckled. "The school is hidden from normal view so you might experience a hard time in trying to find it. You should ride with us."

Zero thought about it for a while. If this man was really a hunter, he would know that Zero was not human anymore. _Was that the reason why Cross was asking him to get in the car? To capture him and kill him? Or to protect him from everyone? _He sighed as he opened the door of the back seat and entered the car.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you." He muttered just as Cross chuckled. If he would be a sacrifice for the sake of the Association, then it didn't matter anymore. If he could complete his mission, then that's all there was to it.

And they drove away from the place.

"Yuuki, this girl here, is my daughter. She and I went to the station last night, you know. We waited for hours but we didn't see you there." Cross started. It could have been that he was merely trying to make some conversations to prevent dead air but Zero knew that the man already knew what happened to him. Zero didn't make any comment so Cross continued. "I thought I had the time of your arrival wrong. But then when I called Yagari in the station, he said that you already left." Again, Zero didn't answer so Cross had to change tactics. He was glancing at the rear view mirror and smiling at Zero who only looked at him coolly. Yuuki was also glancing at the mirror. The girl was clearly worried about him. When their eyes met, Yuuki smiled at him. The smile was so shy and sweet that he felt guilty being together in a car with such a pure and innocent girl.

"Yuuki is the same year as Kiryuu-kun, you know." Cross chuckled. Zero, as usual, didn't answer. Instead, he looked outside the glass window and looked at the huge trees and the clearing sky. The sun was brighter than earlier and also looked more deadly in his eyes.

"Kiryuu-san," Yuuki voiced for the first time. Zero was a bit disturbed when he heard his name being called by a female. After all, he grew up in the world of males so he had no experience at all in talking to the opposite sex, except with his mother. His thoughts were interrupted when she continued what she was about to say. "What… Uh, did you have some kind of accident?" Zero glanced at the mirror again and saw pure concern in her eyes.

"Yes." He answered. "I did."

Cross looked at him again from the rear view mirror. "You're quite calm… for someone who just had an _accident._" His voice was serious and the silver-haired teen knew that Cross was examining him in a lot of ways with just that gaze.

"I'm telling you. I'm not." He answered again before he looked outside. Cross did not talk anymore and Yuuki refrained from asking anymore questions. Zero was just too glad for their delicacy. He was not a man who would ramble about his life and he wasn't about to become one. He liked his privacy so much and he also didn't like to pry on other people's business. That's one of his human characteristics he didn't want to change it, even if he was not human anymore…

The road divided into two separate ways and the car turned to the left. After a while, trees got thinner and smaller houses started to appear into view, until they finally reached the town proper. The houses and the establishments weren't like the one where he came from or even the one where the train station was. It had a more countryside feeling to it than a city.

The car continued to drive until it reached the other side of the town. Trees started to appear again, but thinner than the ones where he had an _accident _earlier. The road was straight and he could see two huge wooden gates from afar.

"That's the school gate." Cross chirped happily. "We're about to arrive." Zero merely looked at the gate, which bore the symbol of Cross Academy, before he looked at the trees again.

After some minutes, they arrived at their destination and the gate opened by themselves as the car slightly slowed down. Zero had seen nothing but harsh trainings, vampires, and Bloody Rose since ten years ago. That's why he was surprised to see many students walking idly and chatting animatedly among themselves. He was not used to seeing many people of his age after all, except his few fellow hunters. The scene was kind of embarrassing and warm at the same time. The environment looked very calm and peaceful, far from his imagination that it would be hellish, what with all those monsters roaming free even during the day. He realized that unlike these students who did nothing but study and hang out with their friends, he had had no opportunity to enjoy anything at all. He was taught that his life was nothing in comparison to the dangerous missions that he and his fellow hunters faced almost everyday. He lived in the darkness, just like vampires, and hunted them down. He was not like these dazzling people who had free time and could idly enjoy their youth and vigor. And with that, he realized he didn't belong to the place.

"_Mission is everything. Life is nothing before it…" _He recited the lines in his mind to keep his focus from straying away from his original objective. What he needed to do in the place was not to have fun like other students. He was here as a hunter on a mission.

The car drove further away from the buildings and stopped in front of an isolated mansion-looking establishment. Cross went out of the car and helped Yuuki open the door. Zero went out of his own even without Cross's help. He couldn't help but feel the sting the sun was making on his skin. It was not enough to deeply hurt him, but it was a very annoying feeling.

"I suggest you go inside the dormitory with Yuuki." Cross suggested kindly when he noticed Zero's discomfort. Zero was only too happy to oblige and he followed Yuuki inside the house, or the dormitory, as what Cross just said. Zero noticed that it looked very much like a house. It looked very homely.

"Uh, do you need a shower?" Yuuki asked uncertainly before she smiled again. "I'll show you to your room."

"Sure." He answered as he followed her steps. They ascended a flight of stairs and reached the second floor of the three-storey building. Yuuki stopped in front of a room and opened the door with a key.

"This is your room." She smiled. "This is the key." She gave the key to Zero who reluctantly reached out and took it. He didn't want any direct contact with any human right now because he wasn't sure how his body would react. He wasn't feeling any sort of thirst for now but he was sure it would only be a matter of time before he lost it. He needed to finish his mission and also his life before that happened.

"Uh, if you need anything, the Chairman's room is on the first floor…" Yuuki voiced again when she noticed that Zero was merely looking at the key on his hand. She bowed before she excused herself.

Zero entered the room and saw his luggage inside. Despite the really strong urge to take a bath right away, he unpacked his things first and took his change of clothes and his towel before he went into the bathroom. It was an elegant room with Jacuzzi style bathtub and filled with assortments that a luxurious hotel would have. He tapped the faucet and the tub was filled with lukewarm water. He started taking his clothes off, or at least what was remaining of his clothes. He stood naked and looked at himself in the mirror.

Physically, he didn't look any different. His silver hair had blood on its tips and his neck was soaked in blood, just like almost all parts of his body. His eyes were still amethyst in color, and he had no fangs. He was so used to looking at his reflection and he was almost convinced that nothing had changed. However, he knew that something changed inside him. There was something dark squirming inside him now and his hunter senses could not ignore it. His left hand absentmindedly touched the left side of his neck, the part where that damn female pureblood bit him. There was nothing off about it when he looked at it in the mirror but he could feel that it was still throbbing. His cold eyes turned into orbs filled with hatred as his fingers started clawing at his neck.

"How could I…" He mumbled. "…have fallen so much..?" He watched as his fingernails cut his creamy skin. He silently felt more satisfied as he watched the blood flowed down his chest and down his torso.

He showered and cleaned the blood off his body. It was a hard thing to do, especially because some of the bloods had already clotted and dried. After a while, he went in the tub and lay there for several minutes. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the doom and the darkness that he would face from now on. He recited the Elite Force's vow in order to get his attention away from misery and grief. He was now a monster… but his mission was still more important than what happened to him. He needed to complete it at any possible cost. If being one of those monsters could make infiltration more possible, then he shouldn't think otherwise. That's the only thing that kept him from drowning himself in the tub.

After an hour or so, he started scrubbing his body with soap and sponge. He cleaned every part of his body until he was satisfied. That's why he looked like he was blushing all over when he walked out of bathroom, what with the harsh way he did to clean himself.

The next thing to do was to get ready. And he knew that he meant it in more than just one way.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Yup, sorry if it's shorter than the first chapter. Don't worry, people! I'll make sure to make the third chapter longer. **

**Sorry if your questions weren't answered in this fict yet. But there won't be any more fun if the mysteries are solved immediately, right? Please review! ˆoˆ**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ren-sama's Notes:**

**Woah, thanks for all of your support and comments, everyone! For those who have questions, I believe I can't answer any of them right now because it will spoil the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Oh, and belated Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 3**

Now that Zero was more relaxed, his eyes darted on the room's entirety. There was one huge bed across the bathroom. On the bed's right side, from Zero's point of view, was a wooden two-layered shelf. Above it was a huge rectangular mirror hanging on the wall. Zero could see his image in the mirror. He was naked except for the small towel on his abdomen area down to his upper thighs. His skin looked so soft and creamy with all the droplets of water trickling down his chest and torso area. His hair was still wet and the tips were also contributing to the total delicious wet look that he had. On the shelf's right side was a tall cabinet where his clothes and other things would be kept. On the bed's left side were a study table and supposedly, a chair. But the chair was currently in front of the cabinet. The wall on his right side had the door and on his left side was an open window where the sunrays come from.

His room looked so bright and warm, something he was not used to. He cleaned himself with the towel and clothed himself immediately. He started unpacking more of his things and put them in the shelf and the cabinet. Some of them, like his books and his educational things, were put on the study table. He needed to look like he was really here to study after all.

After he finished doing everything, his hair was already dry and he felt that he wanted nothing to do for now but sleep, until he heard knocks on his door.

Zero looked at it for a while before he answered. "Come in." The door opened and Zero knew who the person was even before he felt, rather than saw, that overly familiar way of smiling at him.

"Is it a nice room, Kiryuu-kun?" Cross asked.

"It's okay." He answered casually. He wasn't really used to this kind of environment so he didn't know what he would feel. He looked at Cross and immediately knew that those topics were not really related to what they would talk about right now.

"You were attacked by vampires, weren't you?" Cross asked seriously.

"Yes, it was obvious." He answered as he sat on the bed, feeling really exhausted. "Are you going to report me to the Association?"

"No, not really." His eyes were so serious Zero could have thought he was a different person than the awfully cheery man he met earlier on the road. "I want to know who bit you."

"Heh? You also knew about that? How convenient." Zero voiced in a sarcastic manner.

"Kiryuu-kun, I want to help you." Cross said seriously as he too sat on a nearby chair.

Zero's gaze darted straight into Cross's as he heard the words. The Chairman was indeed helping vampires… He needed to report it to the Association immediately. Cross, however, immediately guessed what Zero was thinking and voiced his side so he would not be misunderstood.

"Kiryuu-kun, I want to help you not because you are a vampire." He said. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble with the Association right now. It was suicidal. "I want to help you because you are my friend's, Yagari's, student. I want to help you because you are part of the Elite Force where I used to belong. That's all."

"_This person is very observant…" _Zero thought as he heard Cross's explanation. He didn't know if Cross was saying the truth but he knew Cross read what was on his mind based only on his cold facial expression. This mission was more dangerous than he originally thought. If he was like this, then the vampires in this area would most likely be the same. For a while, the thought about him being a vampire became the least of his problems, until it was brought back by Cross again.

"We need to do something so you won't turn into Level E." He said. And suddenly, Zero really wanted to just shoot a bullet into his head. He didn't want to become one of those creatures that didn't have any will anymore and just moved based on their instincts. He didn't want to become the lowest of the lowest kind of monster. He at least wanted to die as a hunter and maintain his honor as being one.

"What do you mean?" He asked, suddenly interested, though it wasn't showing on his stoic face. He didn't want Cross to have any advantage over him, but if that would at least delay the thing inside him from overpowering his will, then it was worth it. If what Cross would suggest could suppress the vampire that was now in him, at least until he could complete his mission, then he wouldn't care if he died after it, even by Cross's hands.

"First of all, I want to know who bit you." Cross went back to his initial question.

"Tch." Zero didn't know what the hell Cross would do if he knew, or if he just wanted to confirm something, but he didn't care anymore. "A pureblood named Shizuka Hiou."

The Chairman's shocked expression was marvelous, and Zero could have laughed because of it, except for the fact that it meant he could be in more trouble than he thought.

"Shizuka… Hiou..?" Cross mumbled. "But she was currently in custody…"

"I don't care if you believe me or not." Zero said as he yawned. But it was a wrong move on his part. He immediately felt a burning sensation in his chest as he inhaled the air and his mind initially panicked when he thought his agony last night would be repeated. However, after some seconds, he quickly realized it was an entirely new burning sensation, but was just as dangerous as the former one. He clutched his chest when the burning escalated.

"Kiryuu-kun?" Cross called in worry, but Zero couldn't even bear to open his mouth because of the pain. His mouth felt so dry and he wanted something. "You're… thirsty…"

Just as Zero realized what was wrong to him, his eyes immediately turned into burning red as he looked at Cross with shock. Cross wasn't the least surprised in what he saw, even when Zero bared his fangs at him. "I…" He smelled Cross's scent and he knew the Chairman's scent was what caused the attack. Cross had hunter blood and it smelled so good to him. "Please… leave…"

"No, Kiryuu-kun, I'll help you." He stood from his chair and approached Zero but the latter stepped away from him. The young hunter just looked so miserable it was unbearable for him not to help.

"Don't come near me!" He shouted as he clutched his chest tighter. Cross merely looked at him in concern and still approached. He held Zero by the shoulders and made the young hunter look at him.

"We need to perform a seal on you. Without the powerful blood of a pureblood, you will definitely turn into Level E in no time at all."

"What seal?" The teen asked as he tried to concentrate on what Cross was saying and not on what his neck looked like.

"A seal to at least make your pain and thirst bearable, to at least suppress the vampire will inside you." Cross answered as he ushered Zero on the bed. The teen lay on his back and the older man straddled him by the waist, kneeling above him. Zero was trembling from so much self restraint and Cross didn't waste any more time. He immediately unbuttoned the young hunter's shirt and placed his right hand on Zero's neck.

Zero struggled against him as his thirst slowly but gradually won against his will. He couldn't comprehend what Cross was doing anymore, especially when the older hunter started reciting incantations he couldn't recognize. All he could think of at the moment was the burning pain in his throat and the throbbing feeling of his fangs. It had grown beautifully because of the Chairman's scent and was now in dire need of blood. Cross continued to recite words that Zero instinctively knew was the supposed sealing charm. His vampire side started to struggle inside him, trying to gain control and resulting to the rekindling of the agonizing burning sensation he felt at the forest.

Zero screamed in agony and tried to break free from Cross's grip as the seal started to take effect and burn red marks on his neck, at the part where he was bitten. It burned so much that he initially regretted agreeing to take part of it and even thought for a second about pushing Cross off of him. But the older hunter was much more powerful than his slender looks suggested and Zero could do nothing but struggle in futility even though he was now a Level D vampire. At the end of the spell, Zero's pain was just too much even for him to handle that he actually fainted.

"_Zero, play with me…" Zero heard Ichiru's voice from behind him. His younger twin was ill and his parents clearly told him not to do anything that could exhaust his brother._

"_Ichiru…" Zero was about to protest but when he saw his brother's expression as he turned around to face him, he knew he couldn't say no to his twin._

_He considered it to be his fault that his brother was like this. Ichiru should have been stronger if it wasn't for Zero eating his life energy when they were still in their mother's womb. Even as a child, he considered it to be his fault and promised to himself that he would give everything that Ichiru wanted. He would do anything that his brother wanted him to do. It was partly because he loved Ichiru too much and partly to pay for his unforgivable sin. _

"_Alright." He smiled kindly at his brother. _

_The two of them played outside their house, under the slowly falling snow. The environment was quiet and only their laughter filled the forested area where they lived._

_The two of them built a snow man and they threw snow balls at each other. Zero purposefully missed his brother while Ichiru tried his best to hit Zero in futility. His aim was so bad that he was missing his older twin by more than a meter. After a while, Ichiru got tired and wished to play inside the house._

"_Zero, I'm cold…" Ichiru voiced and Zero immediately took him into their room and prepared a glass of milk for him and also for himself._

"_Here's milk." Zero said as he gave the glass to Ichiru. He waited for his younger twin to take his first gulp before he took his own glass. He was about to drink it when he saw that it wasn't white anymore but crimson in color. In surprise, he immediately dropped the glass and it shattered on the floor. The crimson liquid smelled so good for him but he knew he didn't want to drink it._

"_Zero? What's wrong?" Ichiru asked. _

"_Ah, nothing. Sorry, my hand slipped." He smiled guiltily. He didn't want to lie to Ichiru but it couldn't be helped. He looked at the floor again. "I'll clean it."_

"_You can have my milk. I don't feel cold anymore anyway." Ichiru said and Zero looked at him once more only to be shocked the second time. "After all, I'm burning." His eyes widened when he saw how Ichiru's body was being slowly engulfed by fire._

"_Ichiru!" He immediately took the cover and used it to put out the fire on Ichiru's body. "Ichiru, Ichiru!"_

"Ichiru…" He opened his eyes and saw two chocolate eyes staring at him with so much concern. He didn't know those eyes, but he knew that somehow, he had already seen them.

"How are you feeling?" Yuuki asked when she saw Zero's eyes slowly opened. "You're burning up and I'm taking care of you in place of the Chairman. He said you collapsed earlier because you have a cold." She was sitting on the chair where Cross sat earlier and was bending over him.

"Burning…" He initially mumbled distractedly, but when the meaning of the word dawned to him, he immediately jolted and was almost out of the bed when Yuuki caught his arm. It was also a good reflex because Zero felt his head swirling and he almost fell on the floor if it wasn't for Yuuki's little body supporting him. He felt so weak and nauseated.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay…" She tried to comfort him when she saw that he was suddenly afraid of something. "I only meant your temperature is too high. You're sick… Please rest a little more." He didn't argue anymore and went back to the bed once again. He saw a towel right beside his pillow and a basin on the table beside his bed. He also saw outside the window that it was now dark.

"The Chairman told me to make you drink your medicine after you wake up." She added in a livelier manner.

"Medicine..?" His eyebrows creased and Yuuki immediately brought out a small transparent bottle full of pills. It didn't have any label so he didn't know what kind of medicine it was.

"Can you sit, Kiryuu-san?" She asked in uncertainty. He nodded and she helped him sit on his bed. That simple movement, he realized now that he's calmed down, made his muscles ache so much. But it was bearable than earlier. She opened the bottle and gave him a pill. It was red in color and Zero couldn't recognize its structure nor had he seen anything like it in the past. He may not look it but he was also quite knowledgeable about medicine because of his field of work. Hunters tend to be injured during battles and it was necessary that they knew how to tend themselves or their comrades' injuries and other worse conditions, especially if they were in a place where backup was impossible.

She was waiting for him to drink it and was also looking at something else. He realized she was looking at his neck. He knew she wasn't a vampire so it was making him curious as to what she was looking at. She noticed this and chuckled guiltily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." She apologized. "Here's water." She gave him a glass of water when she saw that he was just looking at the medicine. He silently took the glass and put the medicine in his mouth before he drank a gulp of water. The effect was instantaneous, and he knew it wasn't made to treat any flu or cold. It was made to satisfy the other burning sensation that he could still slightly feel when he woke up, except for the fact that it tasted so awful and it made his insides squirm.

"_So they have a pill that can satiate a vampire's thirst for blood." _He thought. He knew he needed to do more investigation and for that, he needed to talk to the person with the most knowledge about the situation in the school. "Where's Chairman Cross?"

"Ah, he's currently… in the kitchen." She said the last words quietly. He could feel that she was saying the truth so he couldn't understand why she was reluctant to say it.

_So he's busy huh… _Zero looked at Yuuki and noticed that she was blushing slightly, maybe because of the heat. He was observant but he didn't know how to interpret her actions. It was the first time he was able to be treated by a female after all, again except by his mother. _She could do for now… _"So you're Yuuki."

She looked surprised at the sudden change of conversation and immediately answered. "Ah, yes. I am Chairman Cross's adopted daughter."

"Are you a day class student?" Zero asked again, though very casually. He didn't want to rouse any suspicion even if she suddenly told the Chairman about his questioning.

"Ah, yes. I'm in the same class as you will be." She smiled. Zero heard that the Day Class is a class whose students are human, and the Night Class on the other hand is a class for vampires. The human students usually went home just as the vampires started going into the classrooms so it wasn't really a direct co-existence between the two.

"I see." He said that though he knew that by now, it would surely be impossible for him to be in the Day Class anymore. And that would make his turning into a vampire a success. If he could infiltrate the vampire circle, then there's a possibility that his mission would come into completion, if he wasn't killed first.

Yuuki was still waiting for him to continue so he added more, just to make his questioning as subtle as possible. "Why do you call him 'Chairman' instead of 'father'? But that's only if you want to answer."

"Ah, no, that doesn't have any deep meaning." She chuckled and the bottle she was holding gently shook, making the pills hit each other and create a soft noise. "It was just a little embarrassing… And other students might feel that he favors me over everyone else… so…" Zero's attention went back to the pills and for now, he was really curious about it.

"Do you know what those pills are for?" He asked, just as subtly and casually as earlier.

"Ah, these are not medicine for the cold." She answered and his eyebrows gently creased. _She knew what it was? _"These are for the painful wound on your neck…" Zero's eyes widened and Yuuki thought he was offended. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you… It didn't look that bad actually. I was surprised when I saw it earlier. Chairman said you got it from an allergy… or something. He didn't specify…"

"I see." He answered calmly, at least on the outside, because inside he was itching to look at himself in the mirror and see for himself what the hell she was talking about.

"Ah, I need to go and round the school now so…" She trailed off, again afraid of offending him now that he started talking to her. "The chairman is in the kitchen… If you're okay now, you can go see him… uhmm…"

"It's okay. You can leave." He answered curtly when he noticed her discomfort, though his tone was a bit harsher than he intended. He wasn't used to speaking kindly after all. Yuuki just bowed in apology before she stood up. She didn't mind Zero's words because she knew the guy was not used to talking at all.

"_He's a very quiet hunter…" _She thought as she walked to the door. "I'll be leaving now. Make sure to rest some more!" Her tone was livelier than when she first entered the room and saw the state that he was in. When the door closed, Zero tried his best to get up and walk. He stopped in front of a big rectangular mirror hanging just above the table beside his bed and looked at his reflection fully. His eyes were back to their amethyst color and his fangs had retracted. And to his surprise, there was now an odd-shaped X with four daggers on each side on top of a cross-like tattoo on the left side of his neck. His fingers tried to touch it as his gaze was stilled on its form. He initially thought that the skin on the part of the tattoo were burnt and had swollen. But upon direct contact with his fingers, he felt that its surface was smooth, though there were some dried bloods here and there. _No wonder the girl didn't look too convinced when the Chairman said it was an allergy…_

He sighed as he walked towards the door and opened it. If the Chairman was really in the kitchen, then a conversation would make things livelier even though it wasn't his style to do so. Just as he went out of his room, however, even with his senses dulled and all, his hunter senses immediately alerted him that there was a vampire nearby, very nearby. His now sensitive nose could also catch the vampire's awfully intoxicating scent, _a pureblood's scent._ His senses screamed _danger _to him as he walked down the corridor as quietly as possible. He encountered no human, or others, and he reached the stairs much too quietly. On the first floor to the right was the kitchen, as what he had observed earlier when he entered the dormitory. He felt that the vampire's aura changed so he was sure that the vampire already knew he was trying to conceal his presence, but in vain. Purebloods were more powerful than even two or three of him, and he knew that very well. He wasn't about to go there and start attacking the vampire. He just wanted to see for himself the face of the so-called prince of the vampires and the son of the powerful Kurans, Kaname Kuran.

He was about to take another step when he felt like he would throw up. The burning sensation in his throat, or the thirst, was starting to come back and his insides felt so awful. He clutched his chest as his breathing became ragged. He coughed and was thankful that he didn't throw up. He stayed above the stairs for a while until he felt better again. He descended the stairs and he walked to the kitchen with senses screaming for him to either run the opposite direction or kill the beast just ahead of him. But he willed himself to fight both feelings for the sake of his mission. If he started anything now, it would really be the end for him.

"Kiryuu-kun, you're just in time." He heard Cross's voice said even before the older hunter saw him entered the kitchen quietly. "Kuran-kun and I are just talking about you." He was a bit surprised to see the Chairman wearing a pink apron with flower designs.

"_What a great welcome. Am I busted now?" _He thought, strongly wishing that it wasn't the case. His expression betrayed nothing of his inner turmoil except for the fact that he looked too wary of the pureblood in front of him. The vampire was sitting on a chair in front of Cross, just beside the kitchen table. He was wearing black trench coat and pants.

The pureblood only looked at Zero in aloofness when the hunter entered and his expression remained cold. His brunette wavy hair fluttered slightly as he turned to look at Zero and his chocolate eyes looked really hostile. But other than that, his beauty was so overwhelming he looked really unearthly. His creamy skin looked so smooth and soft and his eyes looked really gorgeous. Added with that was the fact that he smelled so delicious for Zero. Zero hadn't encountered any pureblood yet because they were extremely rare so he hadn't realize the extent of their charm until now. Well, he did, in the forest. But that was too tragic and painful that he didn't even see the face of the woman who bit him.

"Now, now, Kiryuu-kun. This is Kaname Kuran-kun." Cross chuckled when he also saw the hostility coming from both of them. "He is the head of the Moon Dormitory and the President of the Night Class students." He then looked at Kaname and smiled. "This is Zero Kiryuu-kun, the transfer student I was talking to you about."

"You're talking about me?" Zero asked harsher than he intended. He knew he was walking on a thin rope now because of his attitude. But if he played nice, it would also be too suspicious. Hunters were naturally wary of their enemies so it was so natural for him to be hostile to the pureblood even without any ulterior motive. He couldn't imagine acting otherwise. Zero knew he wouldn't be able to stop the urge to attack the vampire, even without any weapon, so he tried to focus his attention to Cross and erase the vampire's presence in his senses, which was proving to be a very difficult thing to do if not entirely impossible. _He didn't know purebloods smelled that good to other vampires…_

"Ah, yes. It's about the class where we will put you in." Cross answered. And with that, his attention quickly diverted to Cross and he had almost forgotten all about the pureblood except for the fact that he talked.

"I can feel that you are now a vampire, just like us." He said, and Zero couldn't help but glare at him. He didn't say it but his eyes said it all. He was not of them and he would never be. He was a hunter and he would not be anything other than that. He'd rather die…

"Well, Kuran-kun said that you should be put in the Night Class." Cross interrupted and Zero tried his hardest not to shiver with disgust. That's what he had been planning all along but the thought of being with those bloodsuckers 24/7 was just so unbearable for him. And besides, he now realized that he might not be able to investigate about Cross if he was in the Night Class. "But I'm against it."

He met Cross's gaze and saw nothing but concern in them. The Chairman was afraid to put a hunter in the midst of vampires, even if that hunter was now supposedly one of them. It was like sacrificing Zero, and also endangering the Night Class students at the same time.

"Where will I be?" He asked quietly, eyes still fixed on the Chairman. He didn't want to look at any brunette-looking thing right now. When he thought deeply about it, he realized he was afraid to be put together with the Day Class students as well in fear that he might attack them if his vampire side got the better of him. He didn't want to be the cause of any more imbalances between the vampires and the hunters by causing more problems. And on top of that, on top of everything, he wanted his last mission to be a success.

His train of thoughts was cut off by the hated brunette's voice. "You will be placed in the Day Class for now, but your room will be at the Moon Dorm."

His eyes widened at the decision. It looked like these two really planned it all. If he was on day class, he wouldn't be able to observe the vampire activities during the day because he was in school. And at night, when he got back to the dorm, the vampires would be in their classrooms. He would also not have any reason to go to the Chairman in the Sun Dorm because it wasn't his dorm and it would look too suspicious if he went here often. _And it seemed this was the place where these two talked a lot… _He could observe nothing, and he gritted his teeth when he realized that.

"Zero, don't worry. You can still go here if you want, if you're lonely in the Moon Dorm." Cross tried to comfort Zero. He thought that Zero's shocked expression was due to the fact that he would be made to live with vampires. He knew the young hunter might not be able to relax at all.

"Kuran-kun, I think it would be better if he stayed in the Sun Dorm after all." He said to Kaname.

"Chairman, it will be too dangerous to let him stay in the Sun Dorm where all the students sleep." He talked as if Zero was not present and it annoyed the young hunter greatly, though his expression didn't change at all. "You know why we came up with that decision when we learned that he was bitten. He is a dangerous existence to the human students, especially at night. At least, if he's in Moon Dorm, he is a little far from the Day Class Students. We chose to put him in Day Class at school because we know that vampires are weaker during the day. He wouldn't be able to lay a hand on the students without exhausting his energy first."

"I will not lay a hand on the other students, Chairman Cross." Zero said strongly. His words were directed to Cross since he was looking at the older hunter, but they all knew he was really talking to Kaname. He was annoyed that a vampire was trying to protect humans from him when it should be the opposite. He didn't trust vampires and he would never trust one.

"You don't know that for sure." Kaname now addressed him. "If your thirst overcomes you, it will be the end. You will become a Level E and we will hunt you down."

"Shut up, you vampire! Don't talk like you so fucking know me!" He couldn't help but shout. He was so frustrated and infuriated that a mere vampire was talking like a hunter towards him. He was clenching his fists and his fangs immediately bared themselves towards the pureblood.

Kaname looked really angry as he gritted his teeth in silence but he didn't make a move nor did he say anything to counter Zero's words. He just stood silently and watched the silver-haired hunter in front of him whose scent was almost making him lose himself. He was used to Cross's scent so he was not that affected by it, but the young hunter's scent needed an entirely different level of restraint. Zero's strong and intoxicating hunter blood could make even a cool and composed pureblood like him shiver in so much excitement and bloodlust. But Zero's character was another matter. If he let that boy roam free in the Moon Dorm, not only would he lose his honor and dignity in front of other vampires, he would also most likely lose his control. _But for the sake of the human students… and most of all, for Yuuki's sake…_

"Kiryuu-kun, calm down." Cross voiced. "That's why we did the Hunter Seal earlier so your vampire side would not take over you, at least not yet…"

Zero gritted his teeth hard. He didn't want to mess up this mission but he also couldn't bear to be stepped on by a vampire. His hunter dignity and pride just wouldn't keep quiet about it.

"Kuran-kun, I really think it'll be better if he stayed in the Sun Dorm." Cross answered. He didn't want to abandon Zero but he also didn't want to create trouble for the other students, may they be in Day Class or in Night Class.

"Then I suggest he leave the Sun Dorm at night." Kaname proposed at last. "He could be Yuuki's replacement as a prefect." Zero remembered that Yuuki needed to go somewhere earlier. _So that's what it was all about. _

"What a good idea!" Cross beamed excitedly. "But why a replacement? The two of them could be partners!"

"Partners?" Kaname was disturbed by the fact that he just led Yuuki into an awfully dangerous situation. He wanted Zero out of the dorm at night and being a prefect would be a good idea. But Yuuki would also be out at night because she's a prefect, so Kaname thought Zero could just replace Yuuki. But it seemed Cross had some other plans. "Are you sure about that, Chairman?"

"Of course, it would be great!" Cross looked too excited to be interrupted and Kaname was about to be going. "Are you okay with that, Kiryuu-kun?"

"Ah, yes…" He said. It was better than actually doing nothing. And besides, being a prefect could mean he can be at places where he normally shouldn't go and no one would question it. He could use that opportunity to investigate the whole school activity, especially at night.

"I'll just go back here some other time then." Kaname voiced as he excused himself.

"Alright, come over any time you want." Cross answered with a smile and Kaname moved so swiftly he was barely visible to both Cross and Zero. His gaze turned towards Zero and smiled kindly. "Don't worry. I won't abandon you."

Zero's eyes widened at the statement. He wanted to say something in return, but he just couldn't find the right words. He was speechless and overwhelmed. He suddenly realized he needed to hear that so much. He felt his insides warm up and his eyes stung. He was a bit guilty, but despite the kindness that Cross showed, his mission would continue.

"Kyaa! Kiryuu-kun looked so awed at me!" Cross suddenly blurted out which made the young hunter's veins of annoyance pop out. He was about to retaliate when he felt his insides burn again. He clutched his chest as he felt himself choking. "Kiryuu-kun? Are you alright?" Zero gritted his teeth when the much anticipated and at the same time feared pain rekindled anew. It had the same feeling when he was up in the stairs but it was worse. "Kiryuu-kun!?"

Zero couldn't even answer as his knees gave out and he stumbled on the floor as his left hand clutched his chest tighter and his right hand covered his mouth. He felt so nauseated and his throat felt so dry. He coughed and was surprised to taste blood in his mouth. He felt Cross bent over him and he positioned Zero in a more upright manner. Zero continued to cough blood and Cross didn't know what to do for a while.

"It's… the pills..?" Zero heard Cross mumbled. "Your body is rejecting it…" He understood what Cross meant but he just couldn't bear to form any words right now as he continued coughing and coughing up so much blood. In fact, he was now throwing up blood and making a mess out of the Sun Dorm's kitchen.

Cross noticed this as well and immediately carried Zero into the nearest bathroom. "Sorry for carrying you like this, Kiryuu-kun. But it will be a big problem if other students see you in this shape."

Zero couldn't even protest as his insides continued to squirm and he continued to throw up blood. Cross put him down on the bathroom's floor, once again a more upright position. He bent over the toilet and looked like he threw up all the remaining blood inside him because he looked so pale and drained after what happened. He remained still for a while. His eyes were closed and he waited for his breathing to return to normal before he opened them again. Cross smiled at him just as the older male brought out a towel and soaked it in water. He cleaned the blood off Zero's face and neck. He also rubbed them off the clothes the young hunter was wearing, though he knew it was impossible to completely clean the garment now. Zero was too exhausted and too weak to even complain being washed by someone he barely knew.

"I'm sorry, Kiryuu-kun." Cross voiced as he gently wiped the bloods off of Zero. "I didn't know your body is the type that can't bear the blood pills."

"Blood… pills?" Zero couldn't help but ask in his weary voice.

Cross smiled painfully. Now that the pills didn't work, he didn't know how Zero would survive in the long run. "Yes, blood pills are created by the Night Class students as a replacement to actual blood. It is what they drink here."

Zero was surprised to hear that there were actually vampires who would do something like that. Then a question hit him. "Even that pureblood drinks that?"

Cross chuckled at the question. For outsiders, it really was very surprising to hear that the students in this school drank blood pills. "Of course. Kuran-kun was actually the one who started it and the lower rank vampires only followed. Haruka and Juuri Kuran were pacifists, and Kaname, their son, inherited that. Thus, he, just like me, wishes for co-existence between vampires and humans."

"Why?" Zero asked. Cross didn't understand at first so he had to rephrase his question. "Why wish for something impossible?"

Cross smiled again. "Because I don't want to see any more of my comrades dying. I don't want to see any more bloodshed either. I want to live in a more peaceful world together with the people I love."

"But that peace will not be realized as long as vampires exist." Zero voiced, still feeling too weak but he was up to arguing now.

"But there are vampires who also wish to live in a more peaceful world together with their loved ones." Cross said.

"You mean just like that pureblood?" Zero asked sarcastically, but Cross merely smiled and nodded. "That's just ridiculous. Co-existence is impossible. But to drink blood pills…"

"Of course, the blood pills taste awful and they really don't satiate the thirst much so there are students who still can't bear to take them. There are those who try to but their bodies just reject the pills so much, just like you." Cross said. He knew he was saying too much but he really wanted Zero to understand the world he would be living from now on.

"What do those students drink?" Zero asked casually, but there was something in his voice that suggested one wrong word from Cross and he would kill every last one of those bloodsuckers.

Cross knew that very well. That's why he wanted to be as honest as possible. "Blood." Zero's eyes widened and he looked at Cross's eyes directly. The older man added his earlier word. "They drink blood from other Night Class students."

"Why would they sacrifice so much..?" Zero asked, more to himself than to Cross. "What if that Kuran betrays you?"

"He will never do that." The confidence in Cross's words made Zero think that there was something even deeper about their so-called co-existence than what meets the eye. When he didn't answer anymore, Cross was the one who talked.

"Kiryuu-kun, you might not like this, but…" He trailed off, thinking of the best way to say what he wanted. Zero looked at him silently and waited. In the end, he couldn't think of any appropriate approach than to say it directly. "You need to also drink blood from other vampires in order to survive."

.

.tbc.

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**Ren-sama's Notes:**

**Third chapter finished! Thanks for reading!Tell me what's on your mind, please? ˆoˆ**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Kiryuu-kun, you might not like this, but…" Cross trailed off, thinking of the best way to say what he wanted. Zero looked at him silently and waited. In the end, he couldn't think of any appropriate approach than to say it directly. "You need to also drink blood from other vampires to survive."

Zero looked lost for a while and Cross had to explain what he said. "These vampires will not let you roam free while thirsty. Your seal can only hold out long if you will not drink. Of course, I will not let you drink from Day Class students nor will you let yourself do the same. So I suggest that you drink from other vampires instead."

Zero wanted so much to argue but he remained quiet. He knew the Chairman had a point and he was not so blinded by his ideals that he wouldn't think of something like that. No, drinking the blood of those beasts was just too disturbing on top of being disgusting to him. Perhaps, it was because of the Association that he was even keeping quiet about it. He'd rather die than drink their blood, but the thought of his mission being a failure kept him from arguing.

"Don't take my advice badly, Kiryuu-kun." Cross voiced after a while. Zero remained quiet for a while now and he didn't want to offend or hurt the young hunter.

"I know, but I can't accept it either." He uttered after some thoughts. "I don't want to lose my humanity. I am a hunter, and I will not be anything other than that."

"Kiryuu-kun, you'll die." Cross pointed out directly. He wanted to save Zero but it seemed the hunter himself looked ready to die now. "Please think about it a bit more."

Zero simply shook his head before he tried to stand up. Cross helped him and he also helped Zero sat on a chair beside the table, not the chair where Kaname sat earlier because the young hunter didn't want to sit there.

"Do you want to drink something?" Cross asked as he started to clean the blood on the floor. Zero was about to help but the older male immediately gave him a childish pout. "Kiryuu-kun, I'll do everything!"

"Sorry… and thank you." Zero answered. He was really guilty because he was only sitting while the Chairman cleaned his mess. But he was still too weak and exhausted to actually do any good work so he didn't insist on doing anything anymore. "I'll have milk… if that's alright."

Cross smiled at him in his kindly way and Zero thought that Cross and Yuuki were a lot similar despite not having any blood ties. "Alright! One glass of milk coming up!"

The young hunter couldn't help but feel relaxed at the quiet atmosphere. Cross's back was on him and he was looking at the Chairman quietly. He could hear the sound of the spoon clinking against the glass as the Chairman gently stirred the milk. Zero looked at him and saw that his hair was longer than the young hunter initially thought. It was almost reaching the middle of his back, if it wasn't ponytailed to his left side like that. At times like this, Zero thought that the Chairman looked like a really good father figure. Cross turned around and caught him staring, but he merely smiled at Zero. The latter, embarrassed at having been caught, casually looked down to hide his embarrassment.

Cross looked at the kid in front of him and he couldn't help but feel awful. It hurt that Zero didn't want drink any blood coming from the vampires. He wished the kid would realize that his life was worthy living, even as a vampire. But he also knew that as a hunter, it's the greatest humiliation to become part of the race which they hunted and hated so much.

He put the glass on the table and Zero silently took it and uttered his gratitude. "Thank you." He sipped his milk and looked at the Chairman again. "Have you told anyone… about me?"

Cross exhaled silently, but Zero's keen sense heard him clearly. "I didn't. Only Kuran-kun and I know your condition. But I guess the whole Night Class students will know once they meet you. Your classes will start tomorrow, by the way. You'll be Yuuki's classmate so you don't have to worry about finding the room or finding a friend. You will also be an official prefect starting tomorrow."

"You mean do what the girl Cross does?" He asked casually and Cross breathed harshly on his nose.

"Call her Yuuki-chan!" He exclaimed with the added stomp of the feet. "Yuuki is so cute and cuddly, and you just called her 'girl Cross'!"

"Alright, I'll call her by her name then." He sighed. He was getting more and more exhausted because of the Chairman's overly excited demeanor.

"By the way, I will buy blood in the blood bank for you so you won't get hungry." Cross said. "I know blood stored in the blood bank is no good. But at least it can satiate some of your thirst…"

"There's no need for that." Zero answered immediately. "I don't want to drink human blood. I'm not a vampire. I'm not one of them."

Cross looked concern for a while. "But–"

"Can I ask a favor, Chairman Cross?" He asked again, not letting Cross speak his mind about the blood thing. When Cross nodded, he continued. "If I become a Level E, please kill me immediately." Cross looked shocked and was about to argue but Zero didn't let him. "I don't want to die at the hands of those vampires. And I don't want to die as a mere beast. So please, kill me immediately when you think I'm losing it. Put a bullet in my head without hesitation. I beg you."

Cross's pained expression was so intense even Zero looked surprised. "You've grown up to be a fine young man, Zero-kun." Zero didn't why, but the sound of that name sounded so nostalgic for him. He felt like he already heard this man call him that, but he couldn't remember when. "Alright, I'll do that." And the next scene was what tripled Zero's shock. Chairman walked towards him and bent over him. Zero looked up just as Cross hugged him tight. "You've really grown up…"

Zero's eyes widened because he couldn't comprehend what Cross just did. The only hug he could remember came from his mother, father, and Ichiru. Not even Yagari, or Yuzuru, did that to him. And yet, once again, this man just felt so nostalgic for him. He couldn't even find his voice to say anything.

"Chairman?" Both of them almost jumped when they heard Yuuki's voice at the entrance of the kitchen. Cross looked at her and smiled while Zero pretended to drink his milk again.

"Ah, Yuuki!" Cross voiced delightedly as he casually gave Zero a towel to hide the bloodied shirt that he was wearing. "Did patrolling go well?" The young hunter quickly realized why the Chairman gave him a clean towel and he used it to cover his shirt.

"Ah, yes." She smiled, still a little uncertain if she should have interrupted the two. They seemed so_ busy_ earlier. "No Day Class student tried to do anything, and no Night Class wandered around the school ground as well."

"Well, that's good to hear." Cross said. "I've prepared dinner, by the way. You two eat with me."

"Geez, I thought it's my duty to cook tonight, Chairman?" She asked, visibly exhausted from patrolling.

"I want to cook! And please call me 'Papa' when we're alone!" Cross answered childishly. He was pouting at Yuuki and the latter was also doing the same because of annoyance and embarrassment. Zero pretended he couldn't see anything and continued drinking his remaining milk. Yuuki looked at him meaningfully but didn't ask any question even when she saw the towel so he was thankful.

After some more commotions, the three of them were already eating dinner silently. Yuuki, who was used to talking, couldn't help but be conscious of her manners. She didn't want to annoy their guest. No, Zero was not their guest anymore but a fellow student of Cross Academy.

"So, Yuuki." Cross called excitedly. "Zero-kun will be a prefect just like you and will patrol together with you. I hope you help him."

"P-Prefect?" She was surprised, but not necessarily unhappy. Actually, it was the opposite. Patrolling the whole school alone at night was just so tiresome and lonely. But what she was actually surprised about was the fact that the Chairman suddenly called Zero by name and Zero didn't even react to it. _It's like many things had happened while she was gone!_

"Yes, there will now be two of you!" Cross exclaimed, delight was written all over his face. Zero thought how different he looked from the serious Chairman earlier, just like a totally different person. But it wasn't entirely annoying for him.

Yuuki chuckled and looked at Zero. "Well, good luck working with you! And don't you slack off!" Zero smiled a tad and both Yuuki and Cross looked awed. Zero's face smiling was heavenly. He was, after all, the quiet type whose coldness and aloofness wouldn't go away just because he was in a warm place. Seeing his smile, even if just a small one, was like seeing a once in a lifetime experience.

"I won't." Zero answered. He wasn't the type to actually get serious at something like patrolling a school. But if he was patrolling because it was his duty as a hunter to do so, then that was a different matter. This situation was very productive for his mission right now. He needed to get as much information as he could while he was still himself.

After that, they all ate quietly but with a less tense ambiance. Zero knew his way in the kitchen and he was about to help but Yuuki stopped him. She was still looking at the towel Zero clutching to hide his chest area.

"Kiryuu-san, you shouldn't." She said, focusing on the matter at hand and trying hard to not let her eyes wander on the towel curiously. "I didn't get to prepare dinner, and if I didn't get to wash the dishes too, I'll be really grumpy." She was smiling so Zero knew she was only joking about the last part, but he still heeded.

Cross laughed at her enthusiasm and looked at Zero. "Well, there's always the next time, Zero-kun."

Zero looked at his two new acquaintances for a while before he talked. "Alright, I'll go to my room now." He said as he turned around to leave.

"Ah, Kiryuu-san," Yuuki called from behind him. "Can I just call you 'Zero-kun' too?"

Zero looked behind his right shoulder and saw that Yuuki was being serious. "Whatever." He answered casually and he disappeared into the living room. He heard Cross laughed in the kitchen and knew the two weren't offended by his attitude. It wasn't that he disliked being called like that. He just wasn't used to it so he didn't know what to say.

He reached the staircase and started ascending the stairs. He was about halfway when his chest hurt again. He clutched his towel-covered shirt and tried to breathe slowly, but it was having the opposite effect. His breathing was starting to become ragged and he knew he had to go inside his room before someone else came out of their room. He searched his pocket for his key, opened the room in an instant, and was at least able to close the door before he totally fell on his knees. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. Instead, he crouched on the floor and hugged his knees. The towel was now forgotten and silently lay beside him. He leaned his forehead on his arms and lay there silently for a minute or so.

His throat and his chest felt like burning just as his fangs throbbed with so much yearning and desire. He was thirsty again, what with all the blood he kept on losing without being returned. The feeling was becoming familiar to him now, but he just couldn't get used to it. He couldn't even accept it, let alone the thought of drinking blood. His hunter side would never allow him to even think that way even for a minute.

"_Ne, I heard there's a new student coming to class tomorrow."_

"_Ah, yes. That's Zero-kun."_

Zero immediately looked up just as he heard the voices and found he was still alone in his room. The first voice, that of a female's, was unknown to him. But the second voice was definitely Yuuki's. He couldn't see them but he could hear their voices as if they were talking in front of him. He immediately shook his head, thinking he was just hearing things, until the voices resumed.

"_The other female students are saying many bad things about you again. The female students always bully you because they think you're the Chairman's favorite and also because you are a prefect. They think you get to see the Night Class students, which they so loved, more than they can."_

"_Let them be, Kaori. I'm used to it."_

Zero tried to cover his ears so he wouldn't hear anything anymore, but it was to no avail. The walls of each room here were much thinner than the ones in the headquarters. Hunters had sensitive senses and they liked their privacy so the walls there were soundproofed. But this infrastructure was only made to accommodate ordinary students. Perhaps he could hear their voices because their room was just beside his.

"_Good night, Yuuki."_

"_Good night, Kaori."_

He was only able to somehow relax when he couldn't hear their voices anymore. What was unknown to him was the fact that the walls in the Sun Dorm, just like the headquarters, were all soundproofed because hunter senses were very sensitive and Cross was not your average hunter. He wanted to at least have a more relaxing atmosphere so he made all the walls soundproofed. Second floor was inhabited by male students and the third floor was the one where females had their rooms. The floorings were the ones which were not soundproof so the sound could escape from there. But normal human hearing, or even hunter ones, couldn't hear much because of the thick flooring. It was Zero's vampire hearing that was enabling him to hear the voices of the girls rooming just above his.

Now that he's calmed down, he could once again feel the throbbing pain in his throat. It felt so dry and in need of something he knew very well. If only his situation wasn't so dire, he could at least go out and try to breathe some fresh air. _Well, no one said he couldn't do that… It's night anyway… No one would wander in the school grounds…_

The school's area, as what he had seen in his mission form, was almost like a huge circle. The inner circle was where the school buildings and grounds were. The outer circle was a forested area encircling the inner circle. On the northern part of the outer circle is where the Moon Dorm was located and the southern area has the Sun Dorm. The east of the outer circle is where the gate is and the western part of the circle has a huge lake where no one really bothered to go. That could be a good place to unwind.

Right now, the Night Class students were in the inner circle, having their classes, and the Day Class students were already asleep in their rooms. And he was sure he wouldn't see anyone in the woods. He was most dangerous in the Sun Dorm, where all the Day Class students slept. If he would leave at night, then the place to go would surely be the place where no one would disturb him and no one would be in danger because of him.

With that determination in mind, he urged himself to stand up and walk from the doorway to the center of the room. He stopped and looked at the mirror on the wall beside his bed. He looked so handsomely pale and still. His eyes were glowing like burning charcoals and he had a very pained expression.

"_Am I…" _He gritted his teeth. _"Am I really not human anymore..? Did I really lose my humanity..?" _He opened his mouth as if to argue the depressing thought, but the sight of his protracted fangs made him stop. _He really was… __**not**__ human anymore…_

He shook his head as he opened his window and saw the beautiful and serene moon looking down at him from the clear sky. The thunderstorm had ended outside, but it still remained inside him. And it was getting stronger, destroying him and devouring his very existence. He jumped from the second floor window to the ground with so much gracefulness and swiftness he knew he didn't have back before he was turned. _He really has changed… _His eyes were still burning red when he ran a little northwest, towards the woods with only one thing in mind, to escape from reality… even for just a while. His mission was supposed to be everything but he knew he just couldn't concentrate on it if he was very unstable. And besides, first day of class would be tomorrow anyway, so he could also assume that his mission would officially start tomorrow as well.

He kept running in the dark woods but his senses as a hunter were very keen and they, as a vampire, were much keener now. He followed the smell of water and reached the lake with only little effort, even though the lake was at least two to three hundred meters away from the Sun Dorm. He slowed down shortly before he reached the lake when he thought he smelled something sweet. He knew it wasn't blood but it smelled so good. He followed it and saw, circling the lake was a field of blue roses. He was stunned and also amazed at the beautiful view for a while. It was quiet and the blue roses smelled so sweet. _He could look at them forever and still won't get tired of it. _

He walked silently towards one of the flowers and touched a petal. It looked and felt very authentic, unlike the dyed blue roses sold in the cities. The soil just beside the lake was damp but from at least a meter away, where the roses started growing, the grasses could be sat on. There were moisture in them but they weren't muddy. Zero sat and leaned on one of the trees at least two meters away from the lake. Virtually, he was well-hidden from other people because of the roses.

He relaxed a little at the thought that no one would find him in that kind of place. He closed his eyes and, with the sweet scent of the roses, he drifted away into the world of his dreams. But instead of the usual dreams he had with Ichiru, the dream he had now was less real and more incomprehensible.

_The scent of the blue roses was still very dominant, dominating most of the surrounding's scent. He could only barely smell the water even though he was only two meters away from it. He stood up and found that he was in the same lake where he was before he fell asleep. Now he knew he was dreaming because the lake was at some place far away from school, in some bright and warm place he didn't recognize. The pristine atmosphere was still there but instead of being surrounded by trees, the lake was being surrounded by a meadow. The sun was shining brightly and he was alone in the place, or at least he thought he was because he couldn't see anyone in any direction._

_He picked a flower and smelled it as he approached the lake. He sat beside the lake and closed his eyes as he smelled the sweet scent that tickled his senses. It was a kind of place where he couldn't even hope for, especially now that his life would be over soon. He just wished the dream would remain longer. _

_Suddenly, he felt something warm touched his lips. He opened his eyes and saw two chocolate eyes looking at him with so much warmth and love. It was the kind of which he couldn't even hope for. The person smiled and Zero returned it shyly. The person's lovely smile was enough for Zero's stone-cold stature to melt and his heart to skip a beat. He had just kissed someone in his dream… Or rather, he was just kissed by someone in his own dream. He felt himself blush up to the tips of his ears as the person chuckled and he knew he couldn't hope for anything else than to be with this person… _

_Only, dreams were sometimes impossible to make into a reality._

_The person's lower-half body, Zero noticed, was in the lake and he had to laugh when he saw that. This person was just so lovely. Those long eye lashes and luscious lips, and those pretty chocolate eyes were just so warm and beautiful he couldn't help but hug the person as he leaned on the other's forehead. They stared at each other's eyes for a while, drinking each other's love and basking in their affection for one another. _

_It was weird indeed. He knew he was acting strange, and he would've shuddered in shock if he was awake. He knew he was acting so free here, like he was not in any mission at all. It was weird… The other weird thing was the fact that Zero knew he had already seen this person in real life. If only the dream could be a reality… _

"_What's… your name..?" Zero asked, blushing so much. He was kind of embarrassed that they kissed and all but he had yet to know of the person's name. The person smiled and was about to speak when there were suddenly big drops of rain falling down from the sky. Zero looked up but saw clear sky, just as before. He now wondered where the hell the rain was pouring down from. It was very annoying because it was dampening his sense of hearing. He couldn't hear what the person was saying now. _

_Suddenly, the view started to vanish, like a candle that had reached its end and was flickering its life away. The person probably noticed that the dream was over for Zero and gave him one last gentle kiss. It only took a moment but Zero felt like centuries had passed when their lips parted. It left a tingling feeling on his lips and also on other parts of his body. He liked it more than their first share of kiss, and he would have probably liked the next one more if it weren't for the world vanishing at his feet. There was clear sky just a second ago and now there was only darkness and falling rain… _

Big droplets simultaneously dropped down from the branches and leaves of the trees just as he opened his eyes. He was still dazed and thought that he was still inside the dream, until there was a droplet of water that fell down his cheek and forced him to understand that it was now reality, and it was really raining. He must have been sitting down for hours because he felt his body complaining about his position. He felt so much at ease when he shifted in his seat.

"Tch…" He muttered under his breath. "Thank you so much for disturbing my sleep…"

He licked his lips and was stunned when he felt that they were still tingling from the supposed kiss, like the feeling in the dream. His right middle and index fingers unconsciously touched his lips just as he felt himself blushed. He couldn't explain the sensation and he didn't know what the hell just happened to him, to suddenly dream of someone he didn't even know. Not to mention that he acted so not like his usual self. _And to even kiss her! _

He immediately assumed the person was a 'she' because he didn't dare think otherwise. And as he tried to think of the face of the person he was with in that warm place, he realized he couldn't remember. He didn't know what the person looked like or how her voice sounded. But one thing was for sure, the person had lovely chocolate eyes and her smile was very warm and loving. Zero licked his lips before he smiled shyly to himself. _What a perverted man he was…_

Now that he's calmed down, he realized he had forgotten all about his thirst. His eyes were back to their amethyst color now and his fangs already retracted. He looked around and saw nothing but bushes. The scent of the blue roses was still very dominant in the air, and he thought it was the scent's fault that he dreamed of something so not hunter-like. He stood up, yawned, and stretched to shake the dream off his mind. It would only be a hindrance to his mission if he were to think of things with much lesser importance. If it were him back at the headquarters, he would've treated the thing, love and romance, as nothing but trash and the dream as an annoying dream. But now, now that he knew he had no Association to come back to after the mission, he could see that that feeling was also somehow important. Only, its degree of importance was much, much lesser than his mission.

The rain gradually stopped but Zero wasn't soaking wet that much because he was under the branches and leaves of a tree. The droplets of the rain were bigger under the tree but it wasn't totally pouring down like on the lake where there was no shade at all. He silently watched the lake until the rain stopped. He felt calmer now and more in peace. He didn't want to think of anything else right now, _even for just tonight._

There was a sudden change in the air and Zero immediately smelled something else other than the fragrance of the roses. He knew that scent even when he's asleep. It was the scent of the beasts he hunted after all… He leaned on the tree and was about to bring out his Bloody Rose when he realized he didn't have it.

He was shocked for a while because the Bloody Rose hadn't left his side ever since that incident happened ten years ago. And now, he had totally forgotten about its existence. And he realized how that proved that his situation right now was making him all shaky and unbalanced, making him forget something that was practically a part of him. Somehow, he was now even more anxious and fearful of his situation. It felt to him that leaving Bloody Rose behind was like leaving his hunter side, and worse, forgetting about it was like forgetting his identity and humanity. _He couldn't allow that… He couldn't allow this situation to steal everything to him… He didn't want anything of his to be stolen… again._

His train of thought was interrupted by the unmistakable approaching scent, vampire scent. His earlier anxiousness was replaced by panic and irritation because he let himself become so wide open and unguarded in the enemies' territory. It was nothing but pure negligence of his mission and also ridiculous stupidity. _Right now, he was nothing but practically… dead._

He remained leaning on the tree and unmoving as the presences of vampires, four of them, got nearer and nearer, until he could already hear their voices. There's nothing he could do now but conceal his presence and hope that they weren't strong enough to feel him. He also tried to keep his hunter side at bay because even if they couldn't feel his presence, if they could feel his hatred and killing intent, then his cover was for nothing.

"Kaname-sama said not to do anything, but I still don't like it!" Zero heard a male voice exclaimed.

"Shut up, Aido." Another male voice, huskier and had lower pitch than the other one, answered. "I think I understand where he's coming from."

"And please, Hanabusa, don't do anything that will hurt or offend Kaname-sama anymore." A female's voice added. They were at least four or five meters away from Zero now. He gulped. He could feel that they were not mere Level D or Es, and they were powerful. If they would fight him right now, he would surely die. It's not as if he was afraid to die. It's just he didn't want to die in vain, and without even starting his would-be last mission.

"Wait," another voice said. It came from the fourth vampire. They all stopped moving and Zero knew it was him that the fourth vampire felt.

"Kaname-sama said not to do anything, Ichijou." The other male vampire said. "Aido, Ruka, let's leave this place."

"I didn't realize hunters like to eavesdrop on people." The vampire named Aido said and Zero knew he was being provoked. He gritted his teeth but he didn't come out. He knew he had to endure if he wanted his mission to come into completion. It's true that he was kind of eavesdropping anyway. That's basically his mission's definition after all, to eavesdrop and pry on someone else's business, and to deceive them to the end.

"Aido, let's leave." The girl whose name was most likely Ruka spoke. There were some movements. Zero could feel that she was trying to pull her companions away from the place, but they were practically stronger than her.

"Hold on, Ruka." The guy, Ichijou, said. He walked closer to where Zero was and stopped at least three meters away from the tree where the hunter was hiding. "You're Zero Kiryuu, right? We heard about you from Kaname."

Zero breathed slowly as he realized he had no choice but to come out, or else they would think that he was scared of them. He slowly moved from his leaning position and circled the other side of the tree, where he could see all of them. The four vampires were wearing similar white long sleeves that were undoubtedly their uniform. It looked good on them, if only they weren't vampires. The guy named Ichijou, who was closest to Zero, smiled kindly, though the hunter didn't return it. The hunter saw that the four of them weren't wet. He's just the only one who was soaking. Ichijou had blonde hair and emerald eyes. He had a warm presence, not like the other vampires that Zero always encountered in battles. But he was not so idiotic as to easily believe that. Vampires were beasts who fed on human by force or by seduction. It was in their nature to kill and deceive. They're beasts in human skin.

"My name is Takuma Ichijou, the Vice President of Moon Dorm. My three companions here are Ruka Souen, Akatsuki Kain, and Hanabusa Aido. And by the way, there's no need to be so stiff and wary, Zero-kun." Ichijou said, still kindly. "As you've heard, Kaname ordered us not to do anything against you so–"

"Ichijou!" Aido exclaimed. "What do you think you're saying to an enemy?!" Aido, like Takuma, had blonde hair, but his was lighter and he had sapphire blue eyes. He also looked younger than any of them. Zero could see that Aido's nose was twitching.

"Hanabusa, Akatsuki, let's go." The girl Ruka said. She was pleading, but her stony face showed no signs of that. She had waist-length wavy light brown hair and she's very beautiful, though Zero had no interest in anyone whose eyes weren't chocolate in color.

Aido was starting to shiver and Zero had no idea why nor had he any interest to know. But for the sake of his mission, he would try to talk, even with gritted teeth, as Yagari told him. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pain and longing now because he wouldn't be able to be with them anymore. The first thing they would surely do if they saw him was to point a gun on his head or just shoot him mercilessly.

"Your companion is shivering." He answered and the four vampires were surprised for a while. It seemed they didn't expect him to actually talk.

"Ah, don't worry, hunter." The guy Kain, a tall person with auburn hair, smirked. "We can handle ourselves just fine. You should worry about yourself more. It seems he's targeting you. Just look at you chest, saying _I'm so delicious_."

Zero didn't know for a while what the hell Kain was talking about, until he looked down at his shirt and saw that he hadn't changed clothes from when he threw up blood. Cross tried to wipe the bloods off his shirt and ended up messing it more. His blood, because it was his own, had no effect whatsoever on him. But for vampires, he smelled even better than the blue roses in the surrounding and was more delicious-looking than any food or dish out there. And right now, that guy Aido, was reacting to the scent of his blood.

"Don't worry. I can control my thirst…" Aido finally spoke, and smirked as he looked Zero. "Unlike some lowly and filthy Level Es." Now, Zero thought how he wouldn't question the fact that Aido was really Kain's cousin. His annoyance got the better of him and he finally showed them his hostility. His face was cool earlier, but now, he only wanted nothing but to bury some bullets in the head of these beasts.

"I'm sorry, Zero-kun, we didn't mean to offend you." Takuma apologized, but he knew Aido was just stating the reality, and he also knew Zero would not listen to him or even accept the apology.

"I told you, let's just go." Ruka said to his companions. "Kaname-sama will get angry at us if he knew we're doing this now. And just right after he told us to stay away…"

Actually, all four of them could feel it. They could feel Zero's hunter blood pulling them in. If they stayed any longer, their so-called control would really be put to test. It's not that they were afraid to kill a hunter. It's just that their Leader, Kaname, told them not to do anything to this particular hunter.

"Really, Zero-kun." Takuma's voice turned serious even though he was still very much smiling. "I too think that you're too delicious to resist. So please, don't hang around in strange places at night while you're wounded… and without weapon." Zero's eyes, just like Takuma's three companions', widened at the statement. Zero's shock only lay on the fact that the vampires in front of him immediately knew he had no weapon and thus had no chance to win. They could immediately kill him if they so wanted. _So, that Kaname Kuran's power was so vast after all as to make his subjects obey him even without his presence. _

The three other vampires' shock, however, came from the fact that Takuma just said that Zero was too delicious to resist. Zero was not a vampire so he didn't know the sensual implications of the words. Vampires were very sensual beings and there were things that normal humans, like what Zero was before, wouldn't understand. The three of them didn't think that Takuma was that kind of a person but they guessed he was just a closet pervert, and every now and then that side of him would come out.

"I wonder what Shiki will say if he heard all about this…" Kain grinned together with Aido. Takuma, who didn't mean any of the sorts of things his three companions thought, didn't understand why the hell Shiki would get angry if he gave a new student a warning to be careful. Ruka only sighed at the situation.

"And one more thing, Zero-kun." Takuma said. Zero only looked at him with nothing but wariness and hostility. "Please don't keep your eyebrows creased, you'll get old sooner."

"Vampires don't age too easily, Takuma." Aido said, and added. "But I guess he's not one of us after all. Level Es have such short lived existence, even shorter than humans' practically short life."

"It's because when you become Level E, you're nothing but a piece of trash waiting to be hunted down and killed, by both vampires and hunters." Kain added in quite a happy tone.

Zero could have felt deep annoyance and anger at their words, but he just stood there unmoving and totally hurt, because he knew very well how right they were. He knew his existence was the lowest of the lowest now, with no chance of escape. There was almost no sand particle on the upper part of his hour glass anymore. What was waiting for him at the end of this mission was his death. Not that he was afraid of it, it was just painful to think that his comrades would see him as nothing but a mere Level E who couldn't think and had no will of his own. He was even more afraid that he would be killed by these vampires before Cross could do what he promised.

That was something he didn't want, to be killed by the race he hated so much.

"I know that." He answered. "I know that better than anyone, so shut up, vampires."

"So you still have the audacity to annoy us, even though you have no weapon." Ruka was the one who answered this time.

Takuma had to sigh because the conversation just wouldn't end. He was about to tell his companions to just let the hunter go when the conversation was really put to a stop. Aido's eyes flared red and he was behind Zero immediately just as the hunter tried to fight him. The two exchanged swift blows, which amazed even Takuma.

"He's a hunter alright." He chuckled. "No Level D is able to keep up with Aido in a fight."

"Well, everything has a first." Kain yawned. "But are you sure you don't want to stop them? Kaname-sama will get angry."

"Aido can't hurt Zero-kun because Kaname ordered him." Takuma started but it was Ruka who continued.

"And Kiryuu cannot kill Aido because he has no weapon right now." She said. "Tch, this is why I keep telling you to leave this place."

After some minutes, Aido was able to go behind Zero again, but this time, Zero wasn't as swift as earlier and Aido caught his arms and jerked them behind him. Zero gritted his teeth because of the pain. He hadn't drunk any blood and he already lost so much of it. The only thing keeping him moving now was his self determination and his mission. If it wasn't for that, Zero would've already succumbed to depression and killed himself. That's why he was not as efficient as Aido in blocking attacks and received cuts and bruises here and there. His reflex was also slower than how he normally moved, and because his partner was not here, he couldn't get into fighting mode at all because of so much anxiety.

Aido's eyes immediately turned redder when he smelled Zero's scent up close. He closed his eyes and sniffed the hair of the hunter's hair down to his neck. Zero, exhausted and troubled, couldn't do anything against the person behind him who kept on harassing him. He wasn't the type to exclaim annoying things to others when in a bind so he kept his mouth shut. It was Aido's three companions who talked.

"Hanabusa, that's enough. Let's go." Ruka called. Now the three of them were only at least two meters away from Aido and Zero. Their eyes widened when Aido licked Zero's neck.

"Oy, stop it!" Zero couldn't help but exclaim while he tried to struggle. But Aido's grip on him was too tight that it hurt even if he didn't struggle at all. Aido's eyes remained red and his body continued to act on instinct as he continued to lick Zero's neck. His fangs were now protruding and it was slightly grazing the hunter's neck. Zero winced at the sensation because he couldn't understand it. He was human when he first bitten so all his sense told him was that it hurt so much. But now that he's vampire, the fangs on his neck felt kind of pleasurable and he couldn't understand it.

"Stop playing with him, Aido!" Kain exclaimed. He could smell Zero's blood more now because of what his idiot cousin was doing and it was harder to control others when he was fighting hard to control his own urge. Ruka started to step back because she didn't want Kaname to get angry at her, and she was starting to lose control too. Her eyes were now burning red as well, just like Kain's. Takuma couldn't move at all. He wanted to help Zero, but he was afraid he would be the first to bite the hunter if he came too close. His eyes were red as well, but his thirst was still at bay. He wasn't that hungry as well because he just had blood. But hunter's blood was just too intoxicating for vampires that even if he wasn't thirsty yet, he could still feel his mouth watering at the delightful scent.

Normally, the four of them had enormous control and self-restraint, that even when they were with the Day Class students, it didn't matter to them at all. Kaname's blood was the only blood where their control was really put to test, but this was different. This particular hunter's scent and blood was beyond your normal delicious. Cross's blood didn't smell this tasty either. Actually, the word tasty or delicious was an understatement for Zero's blood. It smelled so good it was so mouth-watering. It's intoxicating and it excited them in a lot of ways.

"So this is the reason why he told us to get away from him…" Aido mumbled as his mouth opened wider and his fangs showed. He was about to bite Zero when Ruka yelled at him from where she was.

"Aido! Remember what Kaname-sama ordered us!" She exclaimed. "What he told us earlier was not a mere request! It's an order! Are you defying him, Aido?!"

With this, Aido immediately snapped back to reality and his eyes went back to their blue color. The blood still smelled as appealing as before but his appetite was lost because of Ruka's words. He was a bit unguarded and Zero used that chance to elbow him and escape from his grip.

"Ouch! Hey!" He exclaimed as he rubbed his side. "Damn hunter! Damn Level E!"

"I'm a Level D, not E, you idiot." Zero answered back, a bit calmer than earlier. Takuma sighed in relief as his eyes also turned back to their emerald color. Aido, who was shocked at being called an idiot for the first time in his life, was about to retaliate verbally when Takuma interrupted him.

"Zero-kun, I think it's best for you to return to the Sun Dorm." He said when he noticed that Kain and Ruka's eyes were still glowing red, though they were not moving from their position. "Although it's a bit late, welcome to Cross Academy. We apologize for our earlier behavior, so please don't mention it to Kaname. And, good… uh, night." He smiled before he turned around and put his left arm on Kain's shoulder and his right on Ruka's. He ushered the two to walk away just as Aido followed them behind. The blonde was still annoyed but he still looked behind his shoulder to see if Zero would really not tell. Zero's expression was cool and unreadable. He only hoped that it meant Zero didn't care either way. It meant that at least there's a fifty percent chance Zero wouldn't tell Kaname about what happened this night.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Yeah, I know it's a little bit OOC for Zero to dream like that. But a dream is a dream. And he's back to his old self when he woke up anyway. So, please review! ˆoˆ**

**P.S. Basically, the girl 'Kaori' here is the same girl 'Yori,' Yuuki's bestfriend. Yeah, I know I've kind of thought her name was 'Kaori'… and I've already written a lot to still think of changing it. (I hate editing.) So she's basically 'Yori' with 'Kaori' for a name.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! This is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 5**

Zero went back to the Sun Dorm feeling so exhausted and drained. He had never felt that weak in his entire life. He entered from the main door, which was not locked, and saw that everything was dark. Or at least, everything should have been so damn dark but his eyes were seeing everything as if the living room was lit with a dimmer light than normal. He immediately went to the kitchen and walked to the fridge. He opened the fridge and drank as much water as his stomach could carry. Of course, he was not so stupid as to think that the thirst would be satiated because of that, but at least he wouldn't have to think of weird things. Like breaking into someone else's room perhaps, or waking Cross up. He walked upstairs and was about to open the doorknob when he felt that there was someone inside his room. _A pureblood..!_

He immediately opened his door and found his room dark and empty. And the scent of blue roses was so dominant it was almost dampening his senses. The window was still open and the white curtain was gently fluttering because of the wind. He knew there was a presence of pureblood here earlier but it was now gone. His first thought was the female vampire named Shizuka Hiou. His eyes immediately darted towards the drawer where his Bloody Rose was kept. According to the school law, students were not allowed to carry firearms and other such things so he couldn't carry his gun inside the school grounds during class hours. He walked swiftly towards the drawer and was about to get the gun when to his shock, it wasn't there. His mind immediately went blank in panic, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Don't worry. I didn't steal it." That cool and cold voice was starting to get familiar to him by now. Zero knew who the person was even before he turned around and glared with all his might. That was the only thing he could do for now because he was basically defenseless.

"Give it back to me." He voiced calmly but with force. The pureblood with chocolate brown eyes only looked deadlier, if it weren't for the fact that he was smiling.

"I merely wish to speak with you." Kaname said casually as he leaned on the wall just beside the window. "And it would be troublesome if you started shooting at me without hearing anything yet."

"Don't joke with me. What do you want, vampire?!" Zero bared his fangs as felt his blood boiling with so much anger because of the annoying situation. He didn't like it when he's in front of a strong enemy and he was not in control of the situation.

Kaname looked surprised for a while. No one had visibly bared their fangs in front of him before. The vampires who were lower to him were much too respectful and submissive to do that and the Level D and Es were much too afraid to do that either. The sight of a hunter baring his fangs at him was something that made his insides shiver in a delightful way. "I only want to say something. It won't be long."

"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Zero growled. "Get out of my room, vampire!"

"You're quite rude for a mere Level D, vampire." Kaname talked back, momentarily forgetting what he was really in the room for. His eyes widened when he saw Zero moved swiftly to attack him. But since he was exceptionally gentle and kind tonight, he let it slide and merely dodged. If it were some other time when he was really irritated, he would've immediately killed Zero for even snarling at him. Basically, it was because of Cross's request that he told his fellow vampires to get away from Zero. The older hunter knew that Zero's blood smelled so unbelievably delicious as a hunter and he continued to carry that same scent even as a Level D. Cross knew that the vampires would get excited at the scent of the young hunter's blood and only Kaname could give them orders that they would definitely obey.

"Don't call me vampire! I'm not one of you!" Zero snarled again as he caught nothing but air. The vampire was once again behind him and he didn't like it so he immediately turned around to face the brunette. He didn't like it that Kaname was somehow invading his privacy just because he was a pureblood and he even hated it when the vampire thought that Zero would obey him just because the hunter was now part of their detestable race.

"No matter how hard you try to deny that fact, the mere presence of your fangs baring themselves at me already counters your every argument." Kaname was starting to lose his patience. He was not a very patient man to begin with, and this damn hunter with beautiful amethyst eyes and delicious blood was starting to test his limit. "Just listen for a while and it'll be over soon. I'll return your Bloody Rose and I'll leave your room quietly."

Zero, who by now knew that he had no chance to win with a pureblood alone and without his gun, just remained quiet. His glare never ceased and his eyebrows remained creased as he stared at the vampire in front of him. Kaname realized that he already had the hunter's attention now and didn't let the chance escape.

"Right now, you're a Level D and will soon start to turn into a Level E. Your existence here is dangerous for the Day Class students." He started and Zero couldn't even think of any words just to counter it. "Normally, the Hunter Seal would have put the vampire inside you to rest. But since you're a hunter yourself, the hunter charm put on you by Cross was being nullified by the same hunter side that you have. It means that although the seal was somehow working, it was only working partially. And that means that you will still turn into Level E sooner or later."

"Don't worry, vampire. I'll kill myself before I let you hunt me down." Zero interrupted. "And if that's the only thing you want to tell me, sorry but I already know that. I'm a hunter and I know that the charm placed upon me can only work on certain levels because my hunter blood is nullifying its power. But there's something you don't understand, vampire. It is this hunter side of mine that also prevents the vampire side from taking over my body."

Kaname smiled. "Since you already know a lot, then we can now talk about more important things. Have you tried the blood tablets?"

"I did, and I have no intention of taking anything like that again." Zero answered casually. "Now, if you don't have anything to ask anymore, hand over my gun."

"It didn't work huh…" Kaname simply mumbled, more to himself than to Zero. And that act annoyed the hunter even more.

"My body can't take it! Happy now?! Hand over my gun to me!" He shouted. He didn't like it that Kaname was so damn thinking like the problem was for him to solve when it wasn't any of the damn pureblood's business if he drank any of those disgusting pills or not. He hated it that that vampire was mulling over the matter like it was some game to prove his wit. _Damn vampires!_

"Then you do know you have no chance of surviving if you continue like that." Kaname, realizing he was really irritating the hell out of the hunter now, said seriously. "You can have some real blood. And I mean vampire blood. That way, you can live longer and become stable." The hunter only got more irritated that Kaname was repeating the same conversation he just had with Cross. It didn't feel irritating when it's Cross who was lecturing him about life, but when it was this pureblood, he just couldn't help but be so angry he could hardly contain himself.

"You, a vampire, have no right to lecture me about survival! It was your race who destroyed my life in the first place!"

"Be careful, hunter. My patience isn't that long, and I'm starting to lose all of it just by talking to you." Kaname grew colder than earlier. "Basically, what you're saying is like blaming all humans and calling all of them murderers just because one of them killed another person. What a pathetic way of looking at things."

"Don't compare yourself to humans because you are far from being one." Zero blurted before he could even think twice. He didn't like it that the vampire was talking in a logical way, a way that he couldn't argue. And that fact was making him even more irritated. "And don't so fucking threat me just because you're a pureblood!"

"I'm not comparing myself to such scum like you humans, and I'm not threatening you, you narrow-headed idiot." Kaname sighed as he tried to calm himself down again. Cross would get angry at him if the Chairman knew he was so damn close to tearing this hunter guy's throat. The hunter was gorgeous and delicious-looking, but that's all there was to him. His attitude was the worst and his temper was even worse. He would never let a guy like Zero in his circle of vampires, not in his entire life, even if that's a request from Cross.

"I don't want to be called an idiot by a non-human entity." Zero uttered, also calmer than earlier. "And I don't want to drink anything like blood either, especially coming from you and your little circle of friends."

Kaname's eyebrows creased at that statement, but then he snorted in annoyance. "Who do you think you are, huh, hunter? I'll have you know you don't have a choice in this matter. It's either you drink blood from the vampires, or you leave this school and return to your Association to be hunted down by your own kind." He actually smiled at his last statement even though he knew Zero would be greatly hurt by his words. And true to his assumption, the look on Zero's face made him realize that he's gone overboard. But he didn't know Zero personally and he didn't care what happened to him, as long as Yuuki's safe.

"Don't worry about that, vampire." Zero answered after a while. His voice was a lot different than earlier. "I won't drink from anyone, not from the students and certainly not from the vampires whom would rather kill me than let me taste their blood."

"I don't give a damn about your words, hunter. We both know we don't trust each other." The pureblood answered more roughly than he intended. "The moment you lose control, your words will be nothing and you will not even recognize your own parents once you become a Level E. That's why I'm giving you a chance to stay here. If you will not drink anything and you still don't want to leave, I'll make you leave forcefully." Zero gritted his teeth at the statement. He knew Kaname was not joking because of the extremely hostile aura that he emitted. But aside from that, the word '_parents'_ was just too much for him at the moment and he didn't know what to do.

He realized that from the time he was turned, not once did he think about his parents. They must be crying in their graves because of the humiliation he brought upon their name. They were such great hunters and he tainted their existence by becoming something they hated. _His parents, they would never forgive him… _They would never, ever forgive his deeds… And for him to forget about them for such a long time, he didn't think he would be so hateful as to do something like that. It was an even graver sin than forgetting his Bloody Rose.

"Of course, the other vampires will not let their blood be taken by a hunter." Kaname broke the silence when he noticed that the hunter in front of him was on the verge of breaking apart. Zero was looking down and his eyes were not focused, just staring into the empty space. His expression was so pained and sorrowful that even Kaname felt some pity for him, though the pureblood had no idea what was going on in his mind. It was Kaname's voice that brought him back to reality again. "And for that reason, you can just call me whenever you're hungry. I'll be the one to give you blood."

The shocked expression on Zero's face was so gorgeous that Kaname would have smiled if it weren't for the fact that what he just said was enough to make a normal vampire faint.

Although he wasn't that familiar with purebloods, Zero knew that their blood was so precious that drinking their blood was almost like a sacrilege. But he, as a hunter, couldn't grasp the generosity and the favor the pureblood had just offered him.

"You? What a laugh." Zero said after a while, only he wasn't laughing but glaring. "Why would I do that? And why would _you_ do that? You want something in return, right? I'm telling you I won't do anything in return so don't bother."

"Let's just say I need to protect someone, and you're sane existence is needed for that person's protection." Kaname answered immediately. "I only need you to exist, stay sane and satiated, and not attack anyone in the Day Class. That's the _something in return_ that you don't want to do."

"What person? You mean Cross?" Zero asked in annoyance. "So damn vampires can also think like protecting someone?"

"Don't look down on me or you'll be killed by us one day having that regret." Kaname said. "And that person's not Cross."

Zero thought about it for a while. He certainly didn't want this vampire to have any kind of advantage over him, and he receiving blood from the pureblood was certainly an advantage for the vampire. But at the same time, he would be more stable to do his mission, and then after that, he could die… If it wasn't for his mission, he wouldn't have had any second thought and he would've immediately refused the obviously scam offer. If all he needed to do in return was to live with his sanity intact and not attack anyone, then he could perhaps manage…

"I…" Zero started. "Fine."

"You seemed so eager to live." Kaname said. "Is there any particular reason?" Zero would have thought the pureblood was just curious, if it weren't for the awfully serious expression he was wearing. _Kaname Kuran was getting suspicious of him…_

"You're the one offering me this non-sense…" Zero tried to focus only on his annoyance and not on his panic. He didn't want the pureblood to notice anything, especially not now that he was still in disarray and hadn't started yet. "And now you're asking me why I'm accepting it?! Who do you think I am, some random toy you can play in your hands?!"

"There's no need to get so worked up over simple things." Kaname was about to unbutton his shirt when Zero glared at him.

"I take back what I said." Zero spoke. "I don't agree! You can chase me out of this place all you want, but I will not agree!" And immediately after he said that, regret overcame him fiercely. He wished he just agreed and didn't talk anymore. Now, he lost his chance to actually accomplish his mission. It's all over now.

"I'll come back next time and I'll ask you again." Kaname said before his gloved hands reached inside his dark coat and brought out the Bloody Rose. He put it on the table and then he was gone.

Zero sighed in relief as the vampire's presence vanished entirely. At least, it seemed like Kaname would try to persuade him again. Then his chance was not so lost after all. Next time, he would definitely grab that chance and accomplish his mission well.

His eyesight darted on the heap beside his bed and found that it was his torn out tuxedo. And with this, he immediately remembered something even more important. He sprinted towards the tux and rummaged its pockets. He sighed in relief when his hand found it, only to be doubly disappointed when he realized it was still soaking wet and was already broken.

"Damn… Master will get angry…" He uttered as he stared at the mobile phone he was holding. Yagari and Yuzuru promised to call him the moment he arrived, but since he walked under the rain and even got attacked by vampires on the way, he totally forgot to at least ask Cross if the school had a phone or something so he could call. _And what if Yagari was worried and tried to come here?! _If Yagari or even Yuzuru saw him right now, that would only mean one thing…

"I'm dead…" He mumbled again. He decided to just change clothes and go to bed immediately. He didn't even look at the clock anymore as he closed his eyes. The thirst was preventing him to sleep at first, but soon his exhaustion and fatigue immediately got the best of him and soon he was quietly snoring.

_The snow was falling and he was walking on the snowy pathway together with an older man. His little strides were making little prints on the snow and he was enjoying watching them. The man with him had fierce hunter eyes and shoulder length light brown hair. This man, Zero knew, was a very important hunter. The man noticed that Zero was looking at him and when their gaze met, the man's eyes turned really gentle._

"_What is it, Zero-kun?" He asked. Zero was holding the hunter's big warm hands with his little fingers._

"_Are you stronger than my father, Kaien-san?" He asked and the man whose name was Kaien chuckled._

"_Zero-kun, your father and I use different weapons and have different styles and way of fighting." He explained. "Your father uses guns and I use sword. That's why I cannot really say who is stronger between us. Why do you want to know?"_

"_Because the stronger is who I will be when I grow up…" Zero answered shyly and he looked down. He was a little surprised when Kaien suddenly carried him. _

"_You don't have to be anyone else, Zero-kun. When you grow up, you just have to be Zero, and everything will be fine." Kaien smiled and Zero also smiled shyly. The snow didn't feel cold anymore as Kaien's warmth seeped from his hunter clothing and warmed Zero. He circled his little arms around Kaien's neck and the two of them walked away._

His eyes slowly opened and the light stung so he closed them again instinctively. "Cross..?" He shook his head, shaking away the feeling of drowsiness too. His eyebrows creased when he tried to think of why he would dream of his childhood together with Cross. He just personally met the man yesterday morning and the dream just didn't make any sense. _Well, that's why they were called dreams…_

His body still felt quite heavy from lack of sleep and from lack of entirely something else. He could feel his throat burning so early in the morning. The thirst was so intense he knew he wouldn't be able to leave his room like that. He tried to sit and saw in the corner of his eyes a bottle filled with those annoying pills. He stared at it for a while before he stood up and changed his clothes. He was just in time to wake up because his first day of mission, and school, was about to start. He took the bottle and opened its lid. The shining red pills looked so attractive, very far from how it actually tasted. Although he told Kaname he had no intention of ever drinking the annoying things again, he knew that he had no choice but to do so lest he wanted to lose control. He took three of it and immediately went to his bathroom to drink from the sink. The taste was so awfully terrible that he wanted to just throw it up immediately. But he knew that act would drain him more. He just hoped his stomach could hold on until classes finished.

After making sure that he wouldn't throw up blood, he immediately left his room with the bottle in his pocket. He went down the stairs and saw Yuuki preparing meals.

"Ah, Zero-kun! Good morning!" She smiled sweetly and he immediately saw that her eyes were of chocolate color. He was surprised for a while, especially when he remembered his dream. He had totally forgotten all about her existence during the chaos last night. But right now, he just didn't have any time for petty things such as _love_. He needed to complete his mission, with or without that damn pureblood's indirect help.

"Good morning." He answered casually and he noticed how she looked at his neck again.

"Uhh… Is your, uh…" Yuuki hesitated to ask because she thought it was a sensitive topic for the hunter. "Is your neck alright?"

"Ah, yeah." He answered. He was also shocked when he saw tattoo-looking seal on his neck. It wasn't that big last night and now it had grown bigger. But he was somehow sure it had grown stable. What he needed to do right now was to talk to Cross about many things.

"Ah, good morning! Yuuki! Zero-kun!" _Speaking of the devil…_ Zero would recognize that voice from anywhere. He turned around only to be hugged by Cross tight. He froze from the contact and before he could even react, Cross had already let go of him and proceeded to hugging Yuuki.

"Chairman!" Yuuki scolded, blushing a little. "Show more discretion towards Zero-kun!"

"Ehh?!" Cross pouted. "But Zero-kun is such a lovely child…"

Zero remembered his dream and he now thought if that was merely a dream or if that was a memory of long ago. Such times didn't exist in his mind now. They were deeply buried within him, sad and forgotten, only finding freedom when he's asleep. "Chairman Cross…"

"Hmm?! You really don't like it!? The huggy huggy thing?!" He asked, totally pouting.

"Ah, no. I want to talk to you… about things." Zero reddened as he answered. He was embarrassed at being asked such an awkward question.

"Oh." Cross's serious expression made him relax a little, although still entirely flushed. "You can come to my office after breakfast."

"Ah, yes." He nodded kindly and Yuuki smiled. She was now sure Zero was not that snobby of a person. He was just the introverted type who was easily embarrassed when dealing with a non-hunter topic and non-hunter things.

The three of them ate breakfast quietly but Yuuki was now more or less comfortable with the silence. Zero ate his share absentmindedly because his mind was now wandering on the things he should do for this day. He needed to see how things were going in the classrooms and he needed to explore different parts of the school grounds in case he was missing something. He needed to see how they taught students or even if the secret about vampires was exposed here. His mind went back to reality when he heard his spoon clattering with his plate. He was already finished eating and he didn't even know what he ate.

"Alright, come with me, Zero-kun." Cross stood up from his seat after a while and walked towards his office. The room was beside the living room. The two of them sat on a chair and Cross looked at him. Zero sighed before he started.

"Chairman Cross, I…" He looked down before he looked at Cross again. "Can I bring my gun in class?"

Cross blinked. He didn't think the serious expression on Zero's face was something like this. He smiled kindly. Zero was really such a cute child. "You know we can't allow that, Zero-kun. But you can bring it during your prefect duty."

"Thank you…" He uttered. He instinctively relaxed and Cross knew the young hunter couldn't help but feel wary because of the presence of other vampires in the area. He sighed. It seemed his campaign for co-existence still had a long way to go.

"Is that all?" Cross asked kindly.

"Uhmm… Do the Day Class students know the existence of vampires and hunters?" He asked again, partly because of curiosity and partly because of his mission.

"Of course they don't." Cross answered seriously. "No one will let their children study here anymore if the humans knew of the vampires' existence. The vampires here know that very well and they are trying to keep their existence a secret from the Day Class students. But there are some of them who are quite troublesome, especially if Kaname is not here. So it's the prefects' duty to keep the vampires' hands off the Day Class students and also to prevent their secret from being revealed. And also, to keep the Day Class students' hands off the Night Class."

"I see." Zero uttered, a little bothered about the last statement.

"But please don't hurt them unnecessarily, Zero-kun." Cross pleaded with a smile. "They are students just like the Day Class. And their parents will be more or less angry if a hunter attacked them in the school grounds. But for self-defense, of course you may take the necessary action."

"I understand. I won't act unnecessarily." He said. He was sure he couldn't keep that promise for very long, especially if someone from the Night Class found him out. He would keep his mission secret, even if he had to kill those beastly students.

Cross handed two pieces of paper to Zero. "By the way, this is the prefect's duty form. And this one contains the school rules and regulations. And…"

Zero, after looking at the papers in his hands, looked at Cross. The chairman looked apologetic when he met Zero's gaze.

"What is it?" Zero asked, curious about what that look could be about.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink blood?" He asked kindly. "I can give you my blood…"

"Chairman, why are you doing this?" Zero asked casually. He didn't even have the energy to get shocked anymore. He was right after all. When Kaname told the same thing to him, he was greatly flustered and somewhat offended. It wasn't like that with Cross, but he's sure that it was doubly embarrassing than when it was Kaname who said it.

"Zero, like I said before, I'm not doing this because I have the tendency to save vampires or people who are turned into vampires. I'm doing this because it's you." Cross answered, and sighed at the confused look on Zero's face. "You… really don't remember me, do you?"

"Have I known you when I was little?" He asked again. Perhaps his dream was not so far-fetched from reality after all.

"Ah, it's almost time for school!" Cross immediately answered. He stood up from his seat and patted Zero on the head. "Sorry for asking such an absurd question. Well then, good luck in your first day of class, Zero-kun!" And then he immediately pushed Zero out of the room and called Yuuki.

"Zero-kun, we need to hurry up. Or we'll be late!" Yuuki immediately said when she saw Zero. The young hunter had no chance to even open his mouth as she gripped his arm tight and dashed from the Sun Dorm to the inner circle of Cross Academy, the main school grounds.

Yuuki was a bit out of breath when they reached the school building while Zero looked as cool as ever. The students' eyes immediately fell on the gorgeous guy beside her. Now she was embarrassed to stand side by side with Zero. She looked sideways at him and saw to her amazement that he didn't look like he was enjoying the attention at all.

"Tch…" Zero muttered when he saw that every pair of eyes was looking at him with great interest and awe. He was the type who neither enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror in admiration nor was he the type who thought about such 'petty' matters as physical appearance.

"Yuuki!" A girl with short curly hair ran towards Yuuki. And then she immediately stopped shortly after she saw Zero.

"Kaori!" Yuuki smiled. "This is Zero-kun, the new transfer student I was talking to you about." Zero, to her surprise, started walking off on his own. "Wait, Zero-kun! That's not the way to the classroom!" She sighed as she followed him.

Zero, on the other hand, was very sure he could feel vampire presence in the surrounding. There were a lot of students gawking at him in deep curiosity and he couldn't concentrate much. _So they were already observing him, huh… And he thought he'd be the one doing the spying…_

"Zero-kun…" He felt Yuuki's hands grab his arms softly as she called him. He turned around and saw that Yuuki looked worried and not far from them was the girl named Kaori, who was also looking at him quite meaningfully. "Our classroom is this way." Yuuki smiled at him guiltily when he didn't answer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you any more uncomfortable than that…"

"Where's the classroom?" He simply asked, still distracted by the presence which was steadily watching him from afar. _How could he start his mission if his every move was being monitored by the enemy? Damn…_

"Ah, this way." Yuuki let go of his arm and led the way together with Kaori. Zero walked a little behind them with a surly look on his face.

"Yuuki…" Kaori whispered after she looked back on the new student who immediately glared at her when their eyes met. When Yuuki looked at her, she added. "I think he's a delinquent…"

Yuuki actually laughed at the comment which made her friend blush a little. She answered, also in a whisper. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, Kaori. Although he has that air on him, I assure you he's not a delinquent. He's another prefect, actually."

"Eh?!" Kaori eyed Zero, who was behind them, once again. "He's quite scary…"

"_Damn, I can hear them…" _Zero thought irritably as he tried to shut the voices out of his senses. Well, it was practically impossible seeing as the school was swarming with noises.

The three of them reached their classroom with Zero being the center of attention. The prying eyes didn't lessen at all even after the teacher arrived and called him to the front. The students eagerly leaned in front to hear him more closely.

"I'm Zero Kiryuu." Zero gritted his teeth. He felt less bad when he was outside because the air carried away the scent of the students around him but now that he's in a tight room packed with students, he really ought to have more restraint and coolness. He wasn't that hungry because of the pills he took earlier but his appetite could not be satiated by that disgusting excuse for a blood.

The students were still expecting him to say something else, but since he was not saying anything anymore, the teacher asked him to just sit on the far chair above. The room's chair was in an ascending manner and there was a stair at the isle. Zero ascended the stair and sat at the very far corner of the room. He was beside the window so he could see the beautiful view outside. There were a lot of trees even in the school grounds.

The teacher started the lesson and soon Zero was listening to everything he was saying. He was not a person without knowledge about what schools taught because he was taught such things by his master. He was one of Yagari's only two students so he was able to learn well without relying on someone else. But the thing he was here for was to see if the teacher was teaching anything hunter or vampire related. He was sent here for a mission after all and he would not idly lose any chance of investigation. But far from his earlier plan, the teacher was actually good at teaching that Zero had forgotten to look for any signs of disclosure about the vampires and simply enjoyed the class. The whole morning came by without much incident and soon, Zero found that the teachers were also clueless about the real identity of the occupants of Moon Dorm.

"_I must send my first report soon…" _He thought as he walked out of the classroom the moment the bell rang. He knew that he had to make his report soon because it was only a matter of time before he lost all control to even think rationally.

He walked on the corridors, growling under his breath because that vampire presence was really getting on his nerves now. To his annoyance, the sun was at its peak during lunch break and he felt the burning sensation on his skin the moment he walked under the direct sunlight. It felt really uncomfortable but it was at a tolerable level. His skin just felt really hot, that's all. He went in the cafeteria, where every pair of eyes immediately fell on him, and walked towards the counter still wearing a surly expression. He could hear the students' whispers from every direction and it's annoying him even more.

"_He looks so gorgeous!"_

"_Eh? He looks so scary, actually!"_

"_I like his eyes! They're very beautiful!"_

"_His skin was so flawless and creamy!"_

"_His hair looked so soft and smooth! And it's silver! How beautiful!"_

"_He looks like a leader of some gangster! What with those multiple earrings on his ears!"_

"_I heard he will be a prefect starting this afternoon! How scary!"_

"_Oh, I want him to be mine! He looks so delicious!"_

"_Can I kiss him..?"_

"_Oh, his hunter blood smells so delicious too…"_

His eyes immediately widened and he looked around him, trying to know where the hell that vampire was. It was now in the cafeteria as well. He couldn't figure out where the hell that vampire was hiding. It seemed to be good at hiding its presence in a crowd. _That damn vampire!_

"_Oh, he looked this way! How cute!"_

"_What!? He's not looking at you! He's clearly looking at me!"_

"_What did you say, ugly!?"_

"Oh, gorgeous young man, you're new here, aren't you? What's your order?" Zero turned around and saw the lady at the counter smiling at him. She was plump and looked twice as old as Cross. Only, Cross looked a lot younger than his actual age.

"Ah…" He looked at the foods on the counter and found that his body was searching for something else. But lest he wanted to succumb to the monster inside him, he should eat more human foods and control himself well. "Burger…"

"Why the small appetite, young man?" The lady asked. "Are you not accustomed to the food here?"

"Uh, no…" Zero was a bit surprised that someone said he ate so little. He was used in the headquarters of eating nothing but vitamin tablets and food pills for days when they're on a mission so his appetite was not really that huge. "And… carbonara…"

"Oh? A special order?" She chuckled. "Hey, cook! One carbonara!" She smiled at him again as he handed over his payment. Afterwards, Zero looked at the vending machine and smiled to himself when he saw that there was milk. He immediately put in some coins and bought two bottles of cold milk. The other male students looked at the milk he was holding and laughed to themselves.

"_He bought milk!"_

"_What a baby!"_

"Damn them…" Zero muttered as he sat on the far corner. He waited for his order for a while. When it came, he immediately started eating the carbonara followed by the burger. He already started drinking his first bottle of milk when someone took the seat beside him. His hunter senses immediately turned on the alert signal. _Vampire! _He looked up sharply and saw a pair of blue eyes smirking at him. Zero didn't even need vampire or hunter hearing because the delighted scream of female students at the sight of Aido was so tremendously loud it almost hurt his ears. He coolly stared back at the blonde who seemed oblivious of his surroundings and was obviously annoying the hell out of him. The blonde was wearing their Night Class uniform and he looked really handsome in that white long sleeves. "What do you want?"

"Your blood." Aido smiled innocently before he added in a whisper. "I've had a taste of it, you know. When I licked you last night…" Zero was taught that vampires were awfully sensual beings, but all he could feel right now was deep annoyance at the interruption of his silent meal. He could even feel his skin crawling at the words. He suddenly felt like he wanted to throw up the disgusting pills he took earlier.

"Don't annoy me." Zero answered in an equally quiet voice. "And why are you here? Does your beloved pureblood know you're wandering the school grounds in the light of the day?" _And that was another thing that he should report to the Association._

"No, actually, we're not allowed to be here during the day." Aido chuckled as if he was laughing at someone's joke. "I was just trying to pick on the new prefect so I was being naughty. I wonder if you have the audacity to drive me off this school ground right now, hunter."

"_Hey, what are they talking about? And that guy was supposed to be a new prefect, right? Why isn't he doing anything about Aido-senpai?"_

"_It doesn't matter as long as Idol-senpai is here!"_

"_Yeah, that's right! I would've yelled at that silver-haired prefect if he ever tried to hurt Aido-senpai!"_

"It seemed I'm very well liked by most students." Aido took the other bottle of milk from Zero's side when the hunter was distracted and drank all of it. "Yuck, is this what you hunters usually drink?" Zero was about to comment about his milk when he was interrupted by another voice.

"And what do you think you're doing here, Aido-senpai!?" A voice from behind them made them both turned. It was Yuuki, glaring at both of them. "Zero-kun, you should be driving this idiot out of the school grounds right now instead of drinking milk with him!"

Aido actually laughed at this and Zero, embarrassed at being scolded by a girl he barely knew, immediately reddened. Aido licked his lips when he saw the blood rushed in Zero's cheeks. Yuuki pushed Aido out of the cafeteria with all her might but Aido was being playful and was obviously using a bit of his power to stay. Zero could hear many groans of anger and even some shouts because Yuuki was being hard on Aido. Some were even shouts of jealousy because Yuuki always got to touch Aido while they could only look at their idol from afar. Zero, actually pretty irritated at the blonde now, immediately grabbed him on the wrist and stormed out of the cafeteria without another word, leaving Yuuki and everyone frozen in deep surprise.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Okay, this is it for now! I hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter will be more thrilling! *evil grin* **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Zero continued walking until they were in some woody part of the school, almost in the outer circle, before he stopped and immediately shoved the wrist he was holding away from him. Aido got annoyed at the act but he didn't look like it. "I've driven you away. Now, don't ever go to the school grounds anymore if you don't want me to tell your good-for-nothing Kaname-sama what an annoyance you are."

"You have no right to talk about Kaname-sama like that!" He was thinking of silently leaving just then but Zero's annoying words concerning his Kaname-sama made him stay. Even Zero could feel the rage from his aura and if Aido would be serious, he would be able to kill Zero right now. But Aido was still quite sensible even when he's angry. Kaname's order to stay away from this hunter was absolute and he wouldn't disobey it just because of some spur of the moment anger. But he was still angry so it didn't matter that much. He would annoy the hell out of this hunter even if he was to be punished by Kaname. "You're just a pest! Nothing but a little Level E trying to look human!"

Zero's eyes immediately glowed red when he glared at Aido. The hunter actually looked really beautiful, if it weren't for the fact that Aido was so angry he wasn't interested... for now. The hunter couldn't argue to what Aido just said so he kept his silence and merely glared at the vampire.

"What, Level E? Speechless?" Aido voiced in a mocking tone, glad of his verbal victory. "If you dare insult Kaname-sama again, I'll make sure I will do a lot more than simply lick your blood."

"I don't care about your annoying threats." Zero was starting to get angry as well. All these vampires were really out to get him anyway so it wouldn't make a difference no matter what he'd do. "First of all, it was because of your actions that I'm looking lowly at your leader. Because you're so undisciplined, I am starting to feel that your Kaname is not that great of a pers–"

Zero's words were immediately cut off when Aido swiftly grabbed him on the throat and shoved him onto a nearby tree. "It's a good thing you guided me here in the woods where no one can see us, so I can get away with it even if I were to kill you right now."

Zero was surprised for a while but he immediately recovered and pushed Aido off him. He was a lot stronger right now that he had a proper rest, a proper meal, and he also had that disgusting pills if that would count, so he was swifter in his actions. He was able to turn the tables after merely some seconds and now, it was Aido whose back was on the trunk of a tree and his throat was being held by Zero. If it was a normal hunt, Zero would've already broken that neck and put a bullet in the vampire's head. But since he was in a secret mission right now, he couldn't do anything like that. And it was a mistake on his part, because the moment he lost his concentration, Aido was able to summon his power and freeze Zero's hand in ice. Zero, caught by surprise, jerked his hand away from the vampire and immediately tried to take the ice off his right hand.

"Scared?" Aido, who had just lost his cool, was now confident again. He smirked as he covered the ground and the surrounding trees in ice.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Zero asked half in annoyance and half in fright. He didn't want anyone seeing this scene. He tried to feel any presence nearby but was glad that no one was near their location.

"Don't worry, there's only the two of us here." Aido voiced what was on the hunter's mind and even added some things. "I'm not that idiotic as to let someone see my powers like this. Kaname-sama will get angry at me." And with that, he started to cover Zero's lower body with ice. Zero jumped and tried to attack Aido while also defending himself from the ice. For a while, he was able to get by. But a sudden chest pain made him lose his concentration and he landed on the ground just as Aido froze his feet. His left hand clutched his chest tight while trying to look like he's not in pain. However, his tensed muscles and his flushed face was not hard to ignore. Aido smirked when he saw it, thinking that the hunter was terrified of his power. "What, are you afraid of me now?"

The pain in his chest heightened and Zero knew what the cause of it was. The damn pills were starting to take effect now and his body was starting to reject it. He also felt that the pain he would experience right now was nowhere near the pain he experienced in the bathroom with Cross, because he only took one pill then. _And he took three pills earlier._ The look of pain and panic was starting to show on his face and Aido was enjoying it all the more, still thinking that it was his power that was affecting the hunter.

"You want more?" Aido asked innocently and the ice immediately went higher. It was now covering up to his upper thighs and he could feel intense burning from the coldness. It was so cold and he couldn't even move his feet. And the damn pathetic rejection thing was also making a scene… _Really, it seemed the whole world wanted to crush him right now…_

Zero coughed up blood and Aido's eyes immediately turned red even though he was still in control. The hunter covered his mouth with his left hand as he continued to cough up blood. The scent was too strong to ignore and Aido gulped as his mouth started to water. He could somehow remain in control now because it was the second time he smelled the scent. But what was perplexing him was the fact that his ice wouldn't have had that effect. It meant that the cause of that coughing was something else. "Oy, don't tell me that milk was poisoned."

Zero had no time to see if Aido was trying to make a joke or was really serious when he said that. He continued coughing up blood as he started to convulse. It felt so cold and he couldn't breathe much because of the intense burning sensation in his chest. It was starting to spread throughout his whole body. Aido, feeling a bit afraid that Kaname would kill him if he found out something like this happened to Zero, immediately made the ice retract until there was no more ice in the surrounding. Zero, having been freed from the ice, immediately fell on the ground as he clutched his chest with his right hand and covered his mouth with his left.

"Oy, Kiryuu!" Aido shouted in annoyance and, something he wouldn't dare recognize even if he died, concern. His eyes were still red but he was more or less in control, as long as he didn't go any closer to the seemingly dying hunter in front of him. "Don't joke around! You know my ice is not capable of making you cough blood like that! You know you won't convince me with that kind of acting!" His voice was starting to get really desperate and Zero would've laughed if he was really just acting. But the scent of delicious blood was just too real for the hunter to be merely joking. Aido gritted his teeth as he did something that could either get him closer to Kaname or make the pureblood kill him. He approached Zero, who was silently crouching on the ground and preventing himself from screaming in pain, and bent down in one knee. "Oy! Tch!"

He was hesitant at first, but his concern was starting to get annoying so he helped the hunter up and made him lean on his back on a tree. He saw that Zero's eyes were completely red and glowing with so much thirst and pain, and without his anger, he was actually getting enticed. His fangs slowly protracted as it sensed his want but he didn't dare bite Zero because the hunter was clearly suffering. He didn't know what he was doing and it was not his character to do so either, but he was inclined to stay and help the hunter instead of walking away without concern, which was his would-be normal reaction. He just felt that he mustn't leave the hunter in the woods alone when he's this vulnerable and weak.

Aido closed his eyes because the intoxicating scent of hunter blood was too powerful to resist. He gulped again when Zero clutched his uniform unconsciously because of the intense pain. The hunter couldn't take it anymore and his gritted teeth bled as he prevented himself from screaming. Aido saw this and his control started to shatter.

"Don't… provoke me, hunter…" He mumbled as he stared at those lips that were now bleeding intensely because of continuous biting. "Damn… Damn hunter…" He felt his control slowly fade away into nothingness and his will was overcame with that of his instinct.

Zero was still coughing when he noticed that Aido had gone very quiet. If he were more alert, he would've recognized the intense bloodlust in the air and he would've immediately jerked away from the blonde. But he was not in that state to notice right now and he also didn't have the strength to get away. His eyes widened when Aido leaned closer and touched his lips with _his. _Aido looked at him and the hunter saw nothing but pure vampire instinct filled with bloodlust reflected in those crimson eyes. Zero froze, even his coughing seemed to have stopped, when Aido sucked his lower lip. He immediately reddened and he couldn't help but groan at the sensation. He didn't have the power to make the blonde vampire stop or to push him off. His fists that were clutching the blonde's now also bloodied uniform could only clutch tighter.

"St..op… Hana…busa…" He tried to voice in between groans. He coughed blood again and his eyes widened even more when Aido's eyes glowed darker and the hunter felt, rather than saw, the blonde smirked as Aido tried to suck every ounce of blood Zero's lips had. The blonde held Zero's jaw with his right hand and the hunter's right hand that was still clutching to his uniform, with his left hand. Aido's tongue entered Zero's mouth because it too was full of blood and he enjoyed the warmth of the hunter's mouth together with the blood.

When Zero recovered from the continuous shock, even though he's still in so much pain, he tried to struggle from Aido's harassment but it was futile. Aido was now stronger than him and he couldn't do anything but groan embarrassingly as the blonde enjoyed his mouth to the fullest. Their tongues intertwined and Zero was reddening even more with every new sensation and every aggressive actions that Aido's tongue made. The annoying part was his body seemed to be enjoying torturing him to the fullest by making him cough up blood even more. Aido didn't let go of his mouth, not even when he was already out of breath, until the blonde had thoroughly sucked him.

After a while, the blonde seemed to have realized what he was doing and immediately let go of Zero. A thin line of saliva could be seen dangling from Zero's lower lip to the tip of Aido's tongue as the latter withdrew. Aido stared at the hunter in bewilderment and he immediately blushed deeply when reality struck him. Zero, who was already blushing deeply ever since earlier, only blushed even more, if that's even possible. Aido, in his embarrassment, immediately stood up and sprinted away, leaving the still shocked and blushing hunter alone in the woods.

Aido was too shocked and distracted that he actually entered the Moon Dorm without realizing his uniform was drenched with Zero's blood. Most of the students were in the living room and they stopped talking when they smelled the blood and saw his state.

"Aido, where did you come from?" Kaname, who was sitting on the couch while reading a book, asked as he saw the state of his subordinate, not to mention smelled the intoxicating scent of blood that the blonde carried. Even though all of them already knew that the blood belonged to a certain silver-haired hunter, they still didn't want to assume things before Aido could defend himself.

"K-Kaname-sama..!" Aido looked shocked when he noticed that Kaname was there. He was still not himself when he walked inside the dorm and he didn't notice that there were a lot of students in the living room, including their leader. "I-I… went walking…" He knew it would be a disaster if he told Kaname where he really went. Actually, he was not lying. He was merely covering a large part of what really happened. But basically, he really went out walking.

"And?" Kaname closed the book he was reading and looked at Aido directly. The other vampires tensed immediately. Ruka was shocked to see Aido drenched in the hunter's blood. Takuma was just as shocked. And Kain was only too afraid for his cousin. Kaname seemed angry because Zero's blood was all over Aido.

"_Aido, what the hell did you do now..?" _Kain thought strongly as he stared blankly at his blonde cousin.

"Uh, I, uh…" Aido knew he had no chance to escape this one especially when he noticed Zero's blood on his uniform. "I… I met…"

"You met Kiryuu, and?" Everyone could feel that Kaname was starting to lose his patience.

"H-He… coughed up blood on my uniform…" He mumbled incoherently. He was still a little disturbed at what happened so he could not feel that Kaname was starting to emit a rather scary aura.

"_Aido, tell us the truth now! You're only making him angrier!" _Kain almost shouted inside his mind. If only Aido could hear what he was thinking.

Kaname could feel that Aido wasn't lying when he said that Zero coughed up blood on the blonde's uniform. But that answer was lacking in information too much, especially since there were dried blood on the corner of the blonde's lips too. "How did you meet him?"

Aido visibly paled when the question was asked. He gritted his teeth. He didn't want to lie to Kaname just to save his skin. "I… I went to the school grounds…" The look on Kaname's face made them all even quieter. Kain closed his eyes. His cousin would be punished greatly. That rule was one of the most important orders from Kaname – don't go to the school ground during daytime. For Aido to break it just like that…

"And?" Kaname asked again, trying to contain his cool. His face betrayed nothing but his deadly aura was far from being unnoticed. Aido gulped as he felt his Kaname-sama's anger. More than fear, it was pain that he was feeling right now because he really didn't want Kaname to get angry at him.

"I… I thought I could annoy him…" He looked down, but still continued what he was saying. "He drove me away from the school grounds and into the woods…"

"Well, I guess that's the kind of person Zero-kun is." Takuma smiled. He's the only one who had the audacity to talk while the air was so tense and deadly like this.

"Ah, yes." Aido agreed, which made them all gape a little. The blonde was not a person who would recognize someone else's good attribute, especially if that someone was a hunter. "We ended up having a fight…" He immediately looked at Kaname. "D-Don't worry, Kaname-sama, we fought in an area where there were no humans…"

"Continue." Kaname said. His eyes were still cold but it wasn't as cold as earlier. He could feel that Aido was not lying and it somehow made him less angry at the blonde.

"And then he coughed up blood…" Aido looked scared for a while as he remembered the scene. "Lots and lots of blood…"

"So you were close enough to him that your uniform was drenched in blood too?" Kain asked. He was too curious he just couldn't help but ask. He felt that Aido was not saying everything yet. And the look on Aido's face as he glared at Kain made the auburn-haired vampire sure he was right.

"It's none of your business! Hmph!" Aido snorted. Kaname felt too that that question was something he should be asking.

"Just tell us." Takuma smiled and to their surprise, Aido blushed a little.

"Oy, oy!" Kain grinned. "What happened? Why are you blushing, huh?"

"Shut up!" Aido glowered. "I wasn't blushing!"

"Then tell us." Kaname's voice was calm and composed but Takuma actually chuckled. He knew Kaname too well for him not to notice. The pureblood was just as curious as everyone else. Kaname looked at him meaningfully and he stopped by clearing his throat.

"Kaname-sama… I, uh…" Aido wouldn't be telling anyone this if it weren't for Kaname's request. "I kind of… panicked… and helped him…" He looked down again, embarrassed at what he'd done. "I apologize for helping the enemy, Kaname-sama!"

"No, what you did is just fine." Kaname answered. "And?"

"Eh?" Aido looked at Kaname again.

"He was coughing blood, right? What happened next?" Kaname asked. He knew that even he was getting excited at the scent of the hunter's blood. And he wanted to know if Aido bit Zero. "Aido, did you lose control and bit him?"

With this, Aido's eyes widened. But instead of getting even paler, he actually blushed in deep scarlet up to the tips of his ears. "No-Nothing happened! No, t-that's not it! I didn't..! I mean..!"

"You did more than just bite him?" Kaname asked, more amused now than angry.

"N-No! Of course not, Kaname-sama!" Aido was so red that all of them were now stifling their laughter. "I-I didn't bite him!" And he turned even redder. Kain shook his head while stifling his laughter. Aido was the one who was most against Zero studying here. And yet, he was the first to help the hunter when Zero got in a pinch.

"Alright, I guess I just have to ask him." Kaname said, and they knew he was now messing with Aido. Kain actually chuckled and Takuma smiled.

They were really surprised when Aido actually knelt in front of Kaname. "No, Kaname-sama! Please don't ask him!"

"So it was something different than biting, huh…" Kain grinned. There's no way his cousin could control his bloodlust after smelling that scent. If he didn't bite Zero, then he…

"Don't tell me you licked him again..?" Ruka asked.

"Again?" Kaname asked, making even Aido stop. "What do you mean, Ruka?"

"Uh, Kaname-sama…" Ruka wanted to tell Kaname so badly. But the awful look on Aido's face was making her hesitant.

"I'll explain, Kaname." Takuma said. "Aido, Ruka, Kain, and I saw Zero-kun in the woods last night. And since he was basically drenched in his own blood, he smelled pretty delicious, on top of being so damn handsome. And so–"

"You didn't have to add things like that." A cool-looking guy with maroon hair interrupted him while glaring at him and Takuma looked at the guy meaningfully. A beautiful blonde haired female vampire behind the maroon-haired guy also nodded.

"That was merely an objective observation, Senri." He smiled sweetly at the male vampire before his gaze went back to Kaname. "And so we couldn't help but feel bloodlust at the sight of him. Don't worry, no one bit him. Like Ruka said, Aido merely licked his neck…"

If Aido could just disappear and be buried some miles under the ground, he would've gladly did so. The embarrassment of his activities being reported to Kaname so objectively was just too frustratingly shameful. He was thankful he managed to make the last part of the earlier incident a secret from them. If that thing was to be exposed, his whole life would be rather shameful to live in.

"Aido," Kaname called and Aido immediately looked up despite his embarrassment. "I want you to write the School's Rules and Regulations for Night Class students in a sheet of paper. Make it thirty copies and submit it to me tomorrow morning."

Aido almost gaped at their pureblood leader when he heard his punishment. The rules and regulations for Night Class students were composed of ten pages bond paper, small font size. And knowing Kaname, he wouldn't be able to pass if his handwriting looked like it was in a hurry or in any way different than normal. Not to mention they would have class later on the evening so his time to do the homework was scarce. He groaned inwardly and blamed Zero's blood for everything.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Zero immediately ran back to the Sun Dorm as fast as he could. He almost bump into Cross as he scurried past the stairs in vampire speed and both party were startled when they came face to face with each other.

"Z-Zero-kun?" Cross looked surprised. "What are you doing here? Lunch break was about to–" He immediately stopped when he saw the blood on the hunter's uniform. He didn't know if he would be glad or not at the fact that it was Zero's. He was afraid for a second that the hunter had attacked another student, but when he saw that it was actually the young hunter's, he realized he was also afraid to see Zero drenched in his own blood. What was even more surprising was the fact that Zero looked really, really flushed.

"Ah, t-this was…" Zero looked down on his black long sleeve uniform and distractedly waved his hand. "This was just when I coughed blood…" He walked past Cross but the latter grabbed his arm and led him to his room immediately. Zero didn't know what was happening until he realized there were students in the other rooms. Cross was afraid that they would come out any second so the older male immediately went to Zero's room together with the young hunter.

"Zero-kun…" Cross started but Zero was already unbuttoning his shirt. He took it off with his slightly trembling hands before he looked at Cross, whose pained expression was so intense it would look like he's the one who just coughed up all those bloods. "You can't continue like this… You need to feed…"

The younger hunter didn't answer for a while and just soundlessly walked towards the cabinet and looked for a spare uniform. But after he was dressed again, he answered quietly. "I know that. But as long I can stand it, I will not fall so low that I will have to ask for _their_ blood." He took the Bloody Rose from his drawer and put it in his belt. The handle was poking out of his sleeves but it wasn't that noticeable. It was still class hours but he knew he had no time to go back to his room to get it this afternoon because his prefect duty would be starting just right after the classes ended. Cross just watched him silently for a while and let him dress comfortably.

"Zero-kun…" Cross voiced again. He knew the kid was just as stubborn as him and Yagari. If Zero thought that it was against his hunter principles to drink blood from vampires and humans, then Cross had no chance of convincing him. _But if the situation worsened, Zero might even attack humans… "No, I must believe in Zero-kun…"_

"What is it, Chairman Cross?" Zero asked as he saw the expression on the older hunter's face.

"Ah, nothing." Cross smiled in his child-like manner. "I just wish you could call me Papa or something. Yuuki doesn't often call me that!" Zero immediately felt the veins of annoyance bulged out from his head. He glared at the Chairman before he went out of his room leaving Cross laughing at his reaction.

"Tch." He snorted. Actually, if he was a normal orphan, he would've liked the idea of calling someone a father. Inside, he was really longing for someone like that. But since his parents died in such tragedy, he just couldn't bear to say those names again. It was so painful, too painful to remember and to be reminded of. The words 'parents,' 'mother,' 'father,' and 'brother' was too much for him to utter. He gritted his teeth as a different kind of pain took his heart.

And yet, he was kind of glad Cross didn't ask him what happened. _Of course, he didn't need to ask to know. It was so damn obvious… _The bottle in his pants' pocket was annoying but he knew he would need it if his thirst worsened again.

He immediately went back to their classroom just as the class started. Yuuki looked at him meaningfully when he arrived. Just a few seconds after him was the teacher. The gawking students immediately went back to their seats just as the class started. The afternoon classes began and ended in a more or less tolerable atmosphere. Zero was glad that he could finally rest a little when Yuuki suddenly approached him, much to his surprise, and immediately took him by the arm, which made the other female students glared at her.

"What the–?" Zero blurted out just as Yuuki dragged him out of the classroom and into the corridor.

"We need to go in front of the Moon Dorm's gate immediately before the other students so we can handle them when they arrive." Yuuki voiced quite happily. She was very excited because right now, she wouldn't be doing all those things alone. Zero would be with her. Zero didn't answer but he didn't struggle either. He just let Yuuki pull him by the arm as they ran toward the Moon Dorm's two door gate.

When Yuuki let of his arm, Zero leaned on the huge stone wall beside the dorm's gate. He looked at Yuuki's chocolate eyes as they smiled at him kindly before he closed his eyes and waited. After some minutes or so, students started to flood the doorway and soon, Yuuki was using her frail little body as the boulder to keep the students away. It annoyed Zero that the students here were so damn irresponsible and undisciplined. _No wonder no one among them was able to be a hunter…_

He sighed as he started walking towards the students. That stunt alone actually made them stop and stare at him in curiosity. "Line up." His voice was calm but it was deadly. His eyes looked like they were about to devour anyone who dared go against him. And frankly, no one did. So, for the first time in Yuuki's life, she saw how the students lined up in a parallel manner on two sides of the gate.

"Good." Zero uttered, which earned some giggles from the female students who also found him utterly breathtaking. Yuuki smiled happily at what she just saw. The students actually listened to Zero. She lined up together with the students just as Zero walked back towards the wall and leaned on his back. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes just as the gate slowly creaked open. The students screamed in ecstasy and giggled in admiration when they all saw their dream princes and princesses.

Aido whistled when he saw that for the first time, the students were all lined up. "How neat." He smiled at everyone and the female students knew they made the right decision by lining up.

"I've never seen them this orderly before." Kain pointed to his cousin.

"Yuuki." Kaname called as he saw Yuuki and he stopped in front of her. "Can you tell us about it?"

"K-Kaname-senpai!" Yuuki smiled brightly and looked at Zero, who was still leaning on the far corner. "Zero-kun was the one who did this." Kaname looked surprised for a while and afterwards, smiled at her.

"Is that so?" He said. Kain elbowed Aido who immediately blushed because he knew what his cousin meant by the action. It would be too embarrassing to be teased in front of the hunter so he glared at Kain, who only grinned. Ruka sighed at the sight of the two of them.

"Yes!" Yuuki answered. "He just uttered the words 'line up' coolly and the students immediately lined up!"

"How nice." Takuma, who was behind Kaname, said when he heard the explanation.

"Well then, Yuuki." Kaname said as he smiled kindly. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Ah, yes!" Yuuki nodded enthusiastically.

"Shiki, that's your rival, I guess." The blonde vampire girl whispered as they too looked at Zero, who didn't react like he was listening or sensing their presence. "Well, just as Ichijou said, he really has the looks."

"Don't annoy me, Rima." Shiki answered as he too stared at the hunter. "But they're right. He does smell delicious… even more delicious than Cross's daughter."

"Stop it." Rima said. "Kaname-sama will get angry." And the two of them also walked forward, oblivious of the giggles and screams coming from the Day Class students.

After the Night Class students passed, Zero and Yuuki made the dorm students go back to the Sun Dorm and made most of them go home. They facilitated the students to make sure no one would be left behind the premises or go back to the Moon Dorm.

"Ah… I'm exhausted…" Yuuki complained while the two of them walked back to the Sun Dorm together with the others. "Ah, Zero-kun! Don't forget, we have to patrol the school premises tonight!" She sighed when Zero didn't answer. He continued to walk and ascended the stairs before anybody else could. Just as he opened the door, Cross was already behind him.

"Chairman Cross." He uttered as he let the older hunter in his room. The sun was about to set and it was making Zero's eyes a lot irritated. He closed the door and, out of habit, locked it. He saw that Cross looked a lot more serious than normal, and he was sure there was something wrong as he ushered the Chairman to sit on the chair. He started unbuttoning his uniform when Cross spoke.

"Zero." He called in a trying-to-be-calm voice. "The Association sent a mission for you." Zero immediately froze and his eyes actually widened. He was thankful his back was facing Cross so the older hunter didn't see the panic and the shock in his expression. What Cross said wasn't even a question. _"So Cross knew about my mission? What now, Zero?" _

"Mission?" He tried to act calm about it and was glad that his voice didn't betray his real feelings. He was panicking. He was afraid about being found out, but more than that, he was afraid that he would hurt Cross and sully his trust. He didn't know why he felt that way but he was really feeling awful right now.

"Yes." Cross's tone changed. It had more concern now. "It was sent this afternoon. An emergency mission."

Zero actually turned around and looked at Cross. Now, he didn't expect that. "Emergency mission?"

"Here, read it." Cross handed him an envelope bearing the Association's seal and Zero opened it. It seemed a Level E vampire was roaming the area outside the school and Zero was to hunt it down and kill it. Zero, unconsciously, actually sighed in relief. His face that was awfully tensed and panicky earlier softened as he understood. _Cross wasn't talking about his secret mission at all…_

"I understand." Zero answered as he headed for the cabinet and took his black trench coat and other hunter equipments. He put the Bloody Rose on the bed just as he was about to slide out of his pants, only to remember that Cross was still in the room. Cross was also a male but it was still embarrassing for Zero to be seen by someone else in his underwear. "Ah…"

"Zero-kun…" Cross didn't look like he was about to leave sooner, however. "I know I don't have the right to stop you… but are you sure you want to do this?"

"What do you mean, Chairman?" He asked distractedly. He really wanted Cross to leave him even for just a little while so he could change his clothes. Cross saw that the young hunter was determined enough to hunt and he didn't dare say anything anymore.

He smiled in concern. "Nothing… Please be careful, Zero-kun."

With that, Zero actually stopped what he was doing and looked at Cross in curiosity. _Cross actually sounded so worried. _"Chairman… you're weird."

"I'm not!" Cross immediately turned back to his childish act and pouted at Zero. "You're rude!"

Zero smiled. "That's more like you." With this, Cross rushed with exaggerated tears and wails and hugged Zero very tight. "Hey! Don't touch me!"

Cross chuckled. "Well, I guess I should let you dress properly now. I'll make more dinner than usual so make sure to come back by then." And he left the room just as quietly as any hunter would. Zero couldn't help but admire it. Cross was not a hunter for as long as ten years now, but it seemed his hunter side was not getting dull at all. And when Zero thought about what Cross just said, his veins of annoyance immediately increased. _Did he actually think Zero could accomplish that mission in just as little as two or three hours alone and without any lead? Damn legendary hunter… _He immediately dressed and went out of the Dorm. There were students who looked curiously at him and there were those who admired him even more because of his cool attire. But he didn't pay any attention to them.

When he was out of the Day Class students' prying eyes, he immediately sprinted gracefully towards the woods to the east and after some minute or two, he reached the huge two door gate of the school. He went out and walked for some minutes until he reached the town proper. He was immediately sickened when he smelled three Level Es nearby. He didn't know they smelled that badly, unlike the normal vampires. Perhaps he too smelled so badly that's why those damned noble-looking vampires and their pureblood leader were looking at him in disdain. When he was merely a hunter, he could feel vampire presence but he couldn't smell them. But now, he could even know where they were located just from the strength of their scent. _No wonder Cross expected him to finish his mission in an hour or so…_

Zero didn't waste any more second dawdling on his vampire attributes and immediately sprinted towards the area where he could feel them. After some seconds of searching, he ended up in a dark abandoned alley. He walked slowly and quietly even though he knew those stinky Level Es were already aware of his presence. He went deeper and deeper into the alley and found that the place was so maze-like in arrangement, a perfect place to hide. If he was an ordinary person, he would've already lost his way. But his senses were too sharp to lead him and he knew where he was going was the right way. He continued jogging quietly until he reached the end of the alley, which was an abandoned church. _How ironic for them to be hiding here…_

The place was in ruin and the structure was almost demolished. The pile of cements were scattered throughout the whole place and the area smelled of three stinking Level Es. Zero pulled out his gun just as he saw a little girl come out. _Vampire… _

The little girl smiled at him and talked. "Vampire-nii-san…"

Zero, surprised at the words addressed to him, immediately pulled the trigger and sent a bullet in her head. Her body squirmed for a while in shock before it turned into dust. A man came out and growled at him. Zero saw how hideous Level E vampires looked when they growled. Their fangs were showing at an awfully odd place and their faces were stretched considerably. Of course, he could already see that even before he was turned. But now, he could already see something else in their expression. They looked like they were in pain, in so much pain. And that's a kind of pain Zero knew all too well.

_Thirst… _

He pulled his trigger again and the man wasn't even able to move from his position as he too was shot. _Perhaps he didn't want to move… Perhaps he just wanted someone to take his damned life away… _The third vampire was nowhere to be found and he could feel that it was hiding in the old building, watching what was happening.

Zero was about to walk in the building when he abruptly stopped in his tracks. He wasn't able to sense it earlier but he knew that this presence was the same presence that shot him with those scarlet bullets that hateful night in the woods. He was groggy and weakened then, but now he could feel that this presence was a presence of another hunter… _What the hell was happening here..? _He was sure that if there were any hunters nearby, the Association would've sent them to this place instead of Zero, who was currently in an undercover mission. And if this presence was indeed that of a hunter's, which he knew that it was, then why wasn't he hunting the vampires down instead of watching idly.

_Or perhaps the Association knew he was a Level E now and had sent a fake mission to take him out… _

The thought immediately pierced through him and he was greatly distracted as the third vampire showed and attacked with superb precision. Zero was clawed deeply on the chest before he was able to shoot the vampire dead. He gritted his teeth harshly as punishment for acting so out of focus in a mission.

He wasn't able to think much anymore when he felt that familiar sensation, like he was surrounded. He didn't feel it earlier but it was hard to ignore now. There were a lot of Level E vampires surrounding him but no one was attacking. He had never experienced Level E attacking with neat formation and plan before, except in that forest that night. _Perhaps something bigger was happening here… He needed to report this immediately…_

As if on cue, the Level E vampires attacked him altogether. Zero was now a vampire and he was way swifter than he was then, but this number and this battle tactic was for hunters to use against vampires, and he was greatly shocked that _Level Es _were the ones using it against a hunter like him. Now he was starting to doubt if the hunter watching nearby was his ally…

It also didn't matter to him now if everything was getting dark because of the approaching evening. His eyesight didn't change much. Or rather, it even became sharper due to the darkness. He shot all those who jumped at him and those who were able to claw him received kicks and punches from his left hand. He was a lot swifter than them altogether so some Level Es could only claw him once before they turned into dust and the others weren't even able to growl as they found themselves dying.

But the Level Es' sheer number was exhausting him and Zero knew that if this continued, he too would lose his strength. Every claw was hurting and his coat was now ripped apart, and that was even his favorite coat!

Not far from him, he felt three high level vampires approaching. _Now what? _ But to his surprise, it seemed the three vampires were actually hunting down the vampires as well. _No, these vampires were… _

And after some minutes or so, the area was filled with nothing but dust particles and Zero was able to see the faces of the vampires on the other side, though he already knew who they were even before he saw them.

Kain grinned when he saw that Aido couldn't look directly at Zero. "Yo, Kiryuu."

"What are you three doing here?" Zero asked as he stared at Kain, Aido, and Takuma. He knew they should have been in class tonight.

"Kaname asked us to take care of things here." Takuma answered truthfully. "We were in the classroom when we felt that there was a sudden rise in the number of Level Es in this area so…" He stopped as he stared at Zero's torn clothing. The black coat was making his silver hair and amethyst eyes even more prevalent. The hunter looked so damn gorgeous despite being drenched in his own blood. Or perhaps, that's also adding to the merit point.

Zero looked disturbed. He couldn't quite point out what was wrong. But if what Takuma said was right, then these Level Es arrived here immediately after the mission was sent to him. There was really something off about this whole situation but he just couldn't ask anyone about it. Cross was no longer a hunter and asking him about it might only make him worry. If he asked Yagari or Yuzuru, the two of them might come in here and investigate, and that would be the worst situation for Zero. He quivered inwardly just thinking of what their reaction would be if they happened to see him in his state now. And so, he had no choice but to think about it without doing anything.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Well, this is all for now. I hope you enjoyed the small AidoZero moments. Yeah, I know it lacks so much, but this is a KaZe fict so I can't make it more than that. Review? ˆoˆ**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Once again, thank you for the reviews! Yeah, I didn't expect you to like AidoZero in a KaZe fan fict.. (*laughs*) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter too. ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 7**

Zero looked disturbed. He couldn't quite point out what was wrong. But if what Takuma said was right, then these Level Es arrived here immediately after the mission was sent to him. There was really something off about this whole situation but he just couldn't ask anyone about it. Cross was no longer a hunter and asking him about it might only make him worry. If he asked Yagari or Yuzuru, the two of them might come in here and investigate, and that would be the worse situation for Zero. He quivered inwardly just thinking of what their reaction would be if they happen to see him in his state now.

"And?" Aido tried to start a conversation too. He didn't like it that he was so quiet and being left behind. It looked even more suspicious on the part of his two companions. "Why are you here?" His face looked annoyed but Kain and Takuma still knew that he was greatly embarrassed. Zero looked elsewhere and didn't answer, and it made Aido even redder. "Hey, Kiryuu! I'm talking to you!"

"Be quiet." Zero said as he tried to feel the hunter's presence again. It was gone, completely gone without a trace of its scent or presence behind. "Tch."

"Were you sent here as well?" Takuma asked curiously. "The Hunters' Association was fast. For them to send you here the moment these Level Es arrived."

"During what time did you feel that the Level Es' number multiplied?" Zero asked without addressing the question thrown to him.

"Just now." Kain was the one who answered, curious at Zero's reactions. "We were sent here immediately after Kaname-sama felt it."

_So it was because he went here after all… They were not here by accident. They were here to ambush him… _Zero gritted his teeth again. "Damn…"

"What's going on, Kiryuu?" Aido asked. "We've never experience such a thing as this before. Kaname-sama is protecting this place so there is no other vampire in this area except the Night Class students."

"If I know then I wouldn't be having any problem." Zero answered harsher than he had intended. He didn't like it that he was being questioned by vampires instead of the other way around. He walked towards the building and left the three vampires behind.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Aido exclaimed angrily. Kain and Takuma were now merely watching amusedly.

Zero glared at him. "I'm bleeding and it would be annoying if little Hanabusa lost control again." Aido immediately reddened because of this and he couldn't find any way to counter the hunter at all. But to his surprise, Zero blushed at his own words as well, as if remembering just now what had happened earlier.

"Now what's that?" Kain asked amusedly as he saw Zero's ears reddened just before the hunter turned around and continued walking.

"I think something amusing really happened in the woods earlier." Takuma voiced.

Zero entered the building, trying hard not to hear the two vampires whispering. Aido shouted at his companions in embarrassment and Zero was glad he wasn't the talkative type. It was more fun to tease Aido than Zero and they all knew that.

The sun had already set and the building was dark. Rubbles and other fallen debris were scattered throughout the place. There were no more chairs but the altar was still present, though damaged. Zero didn't know what happened to that church, but it looked like a small tornado just wrecked havoc in the whole mess of a place.

"We need to report this to Kaname." Takuma told Aido. "Can you stay here and make sure Zero-kun comes back to the school without any incident?"

"W-Why me?" Aido protested. It looked like his two companions were setting him up on purpose. "Why not Kain? Why not you?"

"Because you're the most capable of protecting him right now." Takuma answered and Kain knew that answer was partly to convince Aido as well. It seemed to have worked though because Aido looked determined now. "I believe you are capable of stopping him in case his vampire side suddenly awakens. He's in the town proper and not in the school grounds. It will be a disaster if Zero-kun suddenly starts attacking innocent civilians."

"L-Leave it to me!" Aido said as he too stormed inside the building. Kain chuckled just as Takuma smiled.

"Leave it to Takuma to say something like that." Kain said. "Well, we have a report to submit."

"You don't think I said the truth?" Takuma said, blinking innocently. "What I told him is the truth. If Zero suddenly lost it, I doubt you'll let Zero-kun live if you're the one to stay behind. And I doubt if I'll be able to fight him seriously because I'm rather fond of him. Aido will surely fight him but without intending to kill. That's why he's the most suitable."

"Heh?" Kain sounded amused even though his serious expression denied it. And the two of them walked away from the place in their vampire speed.

Zero was in the middle of going upstairs when he sensed that Kain and Takuma left while Aido stayed behind. He looked behind him and saw that the blonde was immediately at the foot of the stair. "Why are you here?" His eyebrows creased.

"Well, Ichijou said I should stay behind in case you become…" Even Aido was surprised at the fact that he couldn't say the term 'Level E'. He wasn't this reluctant to say the word before. Maybe it was because it was Zero he was referring to.

"You mean in case I become a Level E?" Zero finished for him, oblivious of the blonde's train of thought. "Don't worry too much, vampire. Kaien Cross wasn't called a legendary hunter for nothing. His power and strength is superb, and so is his skill in making spells and seals. The tattoo on my neck isn't only for decoration."

"Tch. I already heard that from Kaname-sama. But I also heard that since you're a hunter, that charm is being canceled out by your hunter powers so it's still dangerous." Aido snorted. Of course, he knew that. Even he had some respect for Cross. "And don't call me 'vampire, vampire' all the time. I have a name in case you've forgotten."

"I know, I know. Aiko Hana-something, right?" Zero couldn't help but smirked. Now he understood why Aido's vampire friends always teased him. At that comment, however, Zero immediately realized he just acknowledged vampires' race as something similar to humans'. _Damn… He's really changing…_

"It's Aido Hanabusa!" Aido shouted in irritation. "Don't call me by some random girls' names!" Zero merely shrugged before he continued walking upstairs. "Why are you still here, by the way? Those Level, uh, those vampires are already defeated, right? Shouldn't you go back to the school now?"

"You go ahead if you want. I still have things I want to do here." Zero merely said before he disappeared into the second floor. Aido cursed as he had no choice but to follow. He wanted to just go back to his Kaname-sama and report the incident. But he couldn't just leave without that annoying hunter. _Well, Zero did say he would not turn to Level E immediately… Damn hunter..! _He sprinted towards the second floor and stopped just right behind Zero.

"Don't get too close to me." Zero said as he turned. Afterwards, he walked away again. The silver-haired teen wanted to know what that other hunter was doing in a place like this. He wanted to investigate the place, just in case he was missing something.

"You're too full of yourself, you know that, hunter?!" Aido was offended by that comment. It wasn't as if it was his choice that he had to follow Zero. And what's worse, the hunter was the one treating him like a lowly creature instead of the other way around. "Are you so highly that you don't want **vampires **to get too close?"

Zero, distracted by Aido's accuses, turned around again. "Idiot. It's not that."

"Then what is it?!" Aido had an extremely short patience tonight, like he always had, and he didn't want to get even more annoyed.

"It's just that…" Zero trailed off and Aido's irritation subsided a little when he realized Zero was blushing a little. Well, something like _that _happened earlier after all. He couldn't help but understand the hunter's feeling just as he too blushed considerably. But Zero's answer was just so far-fetched from what he was expecting. "I… I stink."

Aido blinked, unable to comprehend the meaning of the hunter's words for a while. "Eh? Stink? You?"

"Yeah. I can't smell myself so I didn't know I smell so horrible. I can't smell Level Es in my hunter senses. I can only feel their presence so I didn't realize Level Es smell so horrible, like rotting flesh." Zero voiced as he looked out the window and saw the moon rising up in the clear sky. There was not a single star in sight. "I only found out when I smelled those Level Es earlier."

"You can't smell yourself, huh…" Aido voiced after a while of thinking. Of course, he knew how the hunter's assumption about himself was so far from being true. He actually smelled so good because of his hunter blood. He wasn't a Level E yet so he smelled just as how any other normal vampire smelled, added with his blood and he smelled too good to resist. When Zero looked at him, he added casually to avoid any embarrassment in between them. "Do you think I'll try to bite you twice if you smell like them? You don't smell like _them_."

"Maybe you just like eating rotting things?" Zero asked in an exaggerated innocent expression, which annoyed the hell out of Aido.

"Hey, your insults are getting more annoying by the minute! Here I was trying to be friendly and those annoying comments of yours are what I get?!" Aido voiced just as they smelled the strong scent in the air. _Hunter scent… _"What the–?"

"He's back..?" Zero mumbled and it didn't pass Aido's vampires ears unnoticed.

"Who? Don't tell me there's another hunter here besides you?" Aido asked and was disturbed when Zero nodded. If Zero was to team up with the other hunter just so they could take Aido out, then the blonde would surely die. "Oy, Kiryuu! I don't like to play your twisted hunter games!"

"Shut up." Zero voiced quietly just as the scent neared them. "And don't worry, he's not on my side." _He's partly responsible why I became a vampire after all… _Aido looked at Zero and knew that the hunter wasn't lying. He could sense apprehension from Zero and knew he wasn't the only one disturbed.

"…But he wasn't here just now." Aido mumbled, more to himself than to Zero. "One second there was no presence and the other he was already near us… Who's he, Kiryuu?" Zero was another matter since he's an unstable hunter-vampire entity, but for him, a noble vampire, to be fooled like this… It just meant that this person was strong enough to trick them both. And also to erase his presence at will.

"Shut up. I don't know. I don't recognize his presence." Zero answered truthfully. If Aido was right, then that hunter was no ordinary hunter. Zero still had a hunter side to him and he knew he would immediately recognize another hunter's scent or even presence even from far away. For this person to play hide-and-seek with him, he was starting to be sure now. _This hunter wasn't his ally… "Am I being targeted by the Association now..? But this person was already here even before I became a vampire…"_

"Kiryuu, I think we should leave for now." Aido mumbled beside Zero and the hunter understood what he meant. The presence was a floor above them and it seemed to have stopped moving. Without waiting for Aido's further words, Zero immediately pulled out his Bloody Rose and rushed towards the stairs. There was no other presence than the one above them so it couldn't have been an ambush even if it was a trap. "Kiryuu!" Aido shouted behind him and in a second, the blonde was already running together with him. "Damn, you should listen to your senpais once in a while!"

"Sorry, but I don't have time to retreat right now." Zero said and Aido saw the anger hidden behind those amethyst eyes. He couldn't comprehend what it meant until Zero voiced it. "This person was partly responsible for me being a vampire right now. What happened to me was not a mere coincidence. It was planned." Aido couldn't believe what he just heard. Kaname told them that Zero was attacked by a pureblood on his way here. But nobody knew the details of the incident, not even Cross. Zero was partly surprised that he told Aido the thing he couldn't even bring to tell Cross. _That a hunter was involved… _

The two of them reached the third floor just as the presence vanished. Zero cursed under his breath but Aido heard it clearly because of his vampire hearing. There was no one in the third floor. Zero walked towards the place where the hunter's presence was and he saw, to his surprise, an envelope similar to the one he just received when he went undercover. It wasn't the usual red colored envelope containing the usual hunting missions. Its color was black, indicating a secret mission. _Was he here to be ambushed after all? The timing was just too convenient to be a mere coincidence… _

_Or was it actually… a threat..? _For that hunter to casually leave the black envelope in the place was already weird in itself. _Was the hunter trying to tell him something..?_

Aido didn't understand what the envelope meant just from looking at Zero's pained expression but he knew it had something to do with the Association based on the seal on the front. Zero took it and looked inside but there was nothing. The envelope contained nothing but air and space inside.

"Damn… Damn, damn it…" Zero gritted his teeth. Aido was about to ask what it meant, because it seemed Zero knew. But he decided to maintain his silence in fear of breaking the person beside him. Zero looked too brokenhearted and hurt to talk right now.

"We should leave." Aido said as he stood up and started walking away. It's the only way he knew he could persuade Zero to leave the place. And it seemed he wasn't wrong because Zero also stood up and quietly followed him. Their way back to Cross Academy was awfully silent on top of being awkward. Aido wanted to start a conversation just to break the silence but he knew better than to annoy Zero right now. It's not as if he's afraid of Zero. He just felt that Zero would take it all out on him if he started talking.

The two arrived at Cross Academy but still neither of them talked. They walked the woody part of the school until they reached the school grounds. Zero turned south where the Sun Dorm was and Aido looked north, where the Moon Dorm was. Zero started walking but Aido just couldn't help but look back. The hunter looked like he's in pain and the blonde didn't know what to do. He wondered what his Kaname-sama would do at times like this. In the end, he decided to call Zero without anything in mind.

"K-Kiryuu…" He called. Zero turned around and looked at him. "Y-You did a good work. Hmph." He snorted before he sprinted towards the Moon Dorm. He didn't know what exactly happened in the old church but the glint of light in Zero's otherwise dark expression made him sure that what he just said right now was the right thing.

Zero's expression considerably lightened as he walked towards the Sun Dorm. _He did a good work, huh… _He never thought a vampire would say something like that to him, especially since he just came back from hunting. He couldn't help but smile a little at the strangeness of it all.

He didn't know what time it was right now but he was sure he'd just missed his dinner. He touched the Bloody Rose in his belt before he sighed. The hunter felt his pace quickened, until he was no longer walking in mere human pace, and then he stopped abruptly. He was in the middle of the woods. The Sun Dorm was just right ahead but he felt that he was in no shape to go to the dorm right now.

He could feel it, the burning sensation in his throat. _He's thirsty… _And he felt that this time, he must not let any person see him, not even Cross. No, it would be even more shameful if it's Cross. Aside from the fact that it would be terrible if a Day Class student saw him, he was not sure he would be able to control himself right now if he smelled blood, in any kind of form. He knew his eyes were glowing red in color and his fangs were fully aroused. One mistake and he would attack anyone. Thus, he retracted his steps and went to a different direction. He could barely maintain his sanity as he sprinted towards his comfort zone, a place where he knew no human at this hour would go.

Aido walked inside the Moon Dorm only to find his friends grinning at him. Kaname was sitting on the far corner of the living room and was reading a book alone. Aido, purposefully ignoring Takuma and Kain, bowed to the pureblood as he reported everything that happened after Takuma and Kain left the old church.

"You mean there's another hunter in the vicinity aside from Kiryuu?" Kain asked. He was sure he didn't feel anyone's presence while he was there. "But that's…"

"Impossible?" Aido turned to him seriously. "Of course, I would also think that if the event wasn't personally experienced by me. I'm telling you, the presence suddenly appeared and vanished without leaving a trace."

"It might just be Kiryuu trying to scare you for annoying the hell out of him every time." Ruka shrugged. "How idiotic. I didn't think you of all people will be victim to that sort of trick, Hanabusa."

"It was true! Ruka, you wouldn't be able to say that if you were there!" Aido answered back in annoyance. He already felt like a fool for reporting something like that to his Kaname-sama. But it would be worse if he didn't say it at all. "Kiryuu said that that hunter was partly responsible for him turning into a vampire…"

"You mean he was set up by another hunter?" Takuma asked casually. It's not as if he was indifferent to the hunter's situation. He was worried but only on a minimal level since he knew that Zero was a strong individual. Shiki looked at him meaningfully and Takuma answered by smiling at the maroon-haired boy sweetly.

All of them turned when Kaname stood up. "I'll be taking a walk." He voiced before he walked towards the door. He touched the handle before he looked behind his shoulder. "Good job on reporting that, Aido."

"Ah, of course, Kaname-sama!" Aido answered in a thrilled manner. He was beaming up until the door closed behind Kaname.

Zero felt himself calmed down as he smelled the scent of blue roses. It was really soothing to his aching heart and throat. He's sure no one would notice him here while lying on his back beside the tree he slept on last night, covered with thick rose bushes. And he wouldn't be able to smell other scents aside from the intoxicating scent of the blue roses. The last time he was here, he calmed down considerably, and even dreamed of someone he didn't know of.

"_I'll write my report later…" _He thought as he tried to drown his thirst with some doze of sleep. He closed his eyes for a while but then decided he couldn't sleep because of the thirst. Slowly but gradually, he could feel that his thirst was growing. The burning sensation was not just annoying anymore as it started to spread throughout his body. It really felt like he was literally being burned and he couldn't take it. He didn't like that sensation. He rolled on his side as he started to lose his composure. The pain was so terrible he instinctively clawed his neck to nick the pain away. He gritted his teeth as he half growled and half whimpered in pain. He closed his glowing eyes tightly as the pain seemed to have risen on another level. He clawed his neck and chest for what he thought of as hours and hours of pain when in truth he had just started losing it for about some minutes. The thick and delicious hunter blood soon took over the scent of the roses as Zero continued to scream in between his gritted teeth.

"You'll get even thirstier if you continue doing that." A voice he barely recognized said beside him. He didn't react nor answered to the voice not because he didn't want to but because he couldn't. The pain was so intense it was everything he could do not to go back to the dorm and…

Kaname, even though he disliked the hunter when they first met, felt that Zero couldn't continue to live like this. Sooner or later, Yuuki would be in danger if the hunter was always thirsty like this. Zero continued to exhaust his body and let his blood flow away from his body unnecessarily even though he was not drinking blood. Thus, his highly uncontrollable thirst was the result. Although Kaname couldn't even begin to comprehend the pain Zero was in because purebloods were generally more in control when they're thirsty, he could somehow tell that Zero was suffering from it.

The hunter's silver hair was slicked with sweat and so was his skin. His eyes, which Kaname knew was red in color, were tightly shut and he kept on clawing himself with his long fingernails. His fangs were fully grown and it was partly sunk in the hunter's lower lip. If Zero was just any kind of Level D, he would've immediately disposed of the hunter than to let Zero roam the school where Yuuki studied. But Zero was not any random Level D. He was a hunter and also Cross's… It would be against the very co-existence he was proposing if he was to kill a hunter, and a high ranking at that.

Kaname knelt on one knee beside the hunter and took both of Zero's hands gently but firmly. Zero was strong even though he was incredibly weakened and Kaname was a bit surprised with the kind of strength the hunter had. But the pureblood was far more superior in strength and power so Zero couldn't do anything against him. "Stop it, you're making yourself suffer even more."

Zero couldn't comprehend why the hell Kaname was doing this and he tried his best to open his eyes and look at the pureblood directly. His vision was blurred and he didn't even notice it when Kaname shifted from his position and knelt directly above Zero. Both his knees were kneeling on both sides of the hunter, effectively straddling him, just as his hands were gripping on the hunter's wrists. Zero growled under him with that pained expression and Kaname couldn't even feel any anger towards him anymore.

"Listen, Kiryuu. I'll let you drink blood from me. But it has an added condition than merely staying alive and sane." Kaname proposed coolly, trying to make the stubborn hunter understand him. Zero tried to struggle against him but the difference in their strength was so vast. "You have to promise to drink only from me. You have to do that, Kiryuu."

"No…" Zero growled weakly but it was more like a weak moan than an answer. "Get… off me… vampire!"

"Tch. How annoying." Kaname voiced as he bit his lower lip with his aroused fang. The scent filled the air and Zero completely stopped moving and stared at the flowing crimson liquid from the corner of Kaname's mouth. Kaname watched as the hunter tried to fight his thirst in futility. "Just drink, you stubborn hunter."

He shifted his hold of Zero and now held his wrists with only his left hand. Kaname's right hand proceeded on unbuttoning his white long sleeves while watching Zero struggle to maintain his sanity. He smirked as he whispered, "You can't say no to me, Kiryuu." He let go of the hunter's hands and they immediately circled his neck, locking him down. He let hunter clutch on his brunette hair and smell his scent. _Zero had totally lost it…_

Zero was barely aware of the scent of roses as the intoxicating scent of the pureblood above him filled most of his senses. He couldn't fight back and the smell of blood was too strong to resist. Up close, he could see Kaname's veins and the blood that flowed inside them. He clutched the pureblood's hair tighter with his left hand and his right hand fisted on Kaname's clothing and pulled it off the vampire's shoulder. Kaname's creamy white skin was bared, not that his chest was not already bare earlier. But Zero took most delight in seeing the pureblood's neck exposed than any part of his body.

Kaname watched as the hunter watched his body with deep and silent hunger. It kind of excited him even though he was about to be bitten by a man he barely knew. He could feel his insides tingling as Zero stared at his exposed neck with delight. Slowly, he felt the hunter pulled him down. He let Zero do what he wanted and didn't find it annoying when the hunter started to lick his neck. After a while, Kaname suppressed a delighted moan as Zero nibbled his neck, but he wasn't able to suppress a delighted shudder. _Damn hunter… _Kaname couldn't help but smile when he thought that it must be instinct that told Zero blood was more delicious and infinitely sweeter when it was drunk while the owner was high in pleasure.

Zero, from the back of his mind, knew that what he was doing was not really needed. He knew he could just bite the damn pureblood and get it over with. But something told him he needed to do it first before he could bite Kaname, and so he did. Not that he was aware of it. If his mind was any clearer, he would have definitely pushed Kaname off of him and would have never let the pureblood near him. Zero unconsciously remembered that Kaname bit his lip and blood flowed from his mouth. He cupped Kaname's face with his free hand and gently licked the line of blood.

Kaname was only too surprised when the hunter did that. His breathing immediately quickened when Zero's tongue touched the corner of his partly opened mouth. But even though he knew Zero didn't do that to provoke him, he still felt his insides squirming with delight and his blood pooling on his lower abdomen. He was still in his world of delight when Zero started grazing his neck with hunter/vampire fangs. The pleasure was so intense Kaname wasn't able to suppress his moan this time. He was just too thankful Zero was too out of it to notice or even care. He tilted his neck to one side to let the hunter get a better angle in biting, not that their position allowed much of that. Kaname was even more surprised when he realized he was not kneeling above Zero anymore but lying on his stomach on top of the hunter. His thighs were parted so their lower abdomens were more or less grazing with each other. He was about to change his position when he felt it, the strong needle-like things that were grazing his neck earlier went to a halt. He gulped when Zero's fangs slowly bury themselves in his flesh. The pain only lasted for a second and the feeling that followed almost made him moan loudly. The pleasure was so intense, especially when Zero started sucking his blood, his mind almost blacked out.

Just looking at the hunter wouldn't have let him know Zero was gentle, even with enemies. Zero was so hungry he was crouching in so much pain earlier, and yet he still had the gentleness of someone in total control. It was the first time that Kaname was bitten by someone, but he was sure he was not this gentle when he was biting another, especially when he was thirsty. He was thankful that his first time was not that awful of an experience, so he let the hunter have more of his blood than what he originally intended as a form of gratitude. Zero was too thirsty that the flow of blood in his throat was like the fall of rain in a barren, deserted land. _And the taste…_ It wasn't like the pills at all. That awful excuse for a blood couldn't even begin to compare to this luscious and delicious blood. It felt like Kaname wanted to protect someone, but Zero wasn't sure who the person was. He took his time drinking, until he realized, when his mind was already clear enough to think, the pureblood on top of him was not resisting at all. He realized Kaname was not stopping him or even trying to remind him that he was going overboard. At that instant, his mind panicked at the thought of draining the other to death.

"K-Kuran..?" He called, afraid to be received by silence. It wasn't that he was worried about Kaname in particular. He just felt that a hunter killing a pureblood might bring an all-out war. He was surprised when Kaname shifted and looked at him. The pureblood's charming and delightful chocolate eyes didn't hold any pain or regret of being bitten by the enemy race. The hunter's face considerably lightened.

"What?" Kaname's face was too close to Zero and he immediately saw the fear in those beautiful amethyst eyes. He didn't know what Zero's fears were but the sight of Kaname made his worried expression eased, so the pureblood was kind of perplexed. He watched as the hunter's face turned from ease to discomfort and then colored, and he had a hint of what was causing it. Zero was starting to feel terribly uncomfortable with their position. Kaname was not moving off him and the hunter could feel the vampire's warm body on top of him. His hunter side was reacting strongly against it but his vampire side was just too awfully aroused at the situation. Above all, he was embarrassed, and he immediately reddened.

"Ah, K-Kuran…" He voiced very uncomfortably as he shifted. It was a wrong move though, because their _bodies_ slightly rubbed against one another, causing them both to flinch at the contact. Zero didn't like showing any emotion towards Kaname of all vampires but he couldn't help but blush even more. "G-Get off me!"

Kaname didn't need to be told twice. He immediately stood up and turned around so Zero couldn't see how he smiled in fascination. _He's blushing… That cold and aloof hunter actually knew how to blush… _He then remembered Aido. Perhaps something similar to this had happened between _him_ and Zero. When he turned around again, Zero had already turned back to his cold and cool mask. He looked at Kaname directly in the eyes and Kaname just had no idea what this particular hunter was thinking. He had a habit of guessing what others think and he was almost a hundred percent right all the time. But with Zero, not only was his guess wrong, it was a total blank.

"What do you mean drink only from you?" Zero asked after some glare with no strength. He felt totally annoyed at himself because after what happened, he knew he owed Kaname a big one. "And… t-thank… you…" He looked away when he uttered his gratitude. Even though he had changed in the last two days, he still thought that thanking a vampire goes against all his hunter principles.

"There's no need to thank me." Kaname said seriously. "Like I said, I need to protect someone so I'm doing this. I need to protect that person from you as well. It will be a problem for me if you suddenly start attacking other students." He couldn't help but notice how the thick blue rose bushes seemed to decorate the hunter's background. Now, the silver-haired hunter looked even more gorgeous, especially with his blood-soaked clothes that smelled so good. Kaname saw that Zero's neck had stopped bleeding. _So his blood was already working its wonders inside the hunter's body…_

"It will be solved if you'll just kill me." Zero answered, though he was sure he would not allow a vampire to hunt him down. "No one will value me since I'm a Level D so you won't get in trouble."

Kaname smiled as he breathed deeply. _Ahh… the hunter in front of him smelled so good… _"You know, I would've immediately done that, except that you have Cross-san's protection and you're also a student here. Killing another student is not something a student should think of."

Zero's eyebrows creased. _Cross was protecting him..? _"What do you mean I should just drink from you? I have no intention of ever drinking from anyone anymore. And most of all, not from a vampire."

"You can't say that for sure." Kaname turned serious again. "If you're thirsty, come directly to me. I will not deprive you, so you better keep your end of the deal."

"You don't need to tell me that, even if I have no intention of drinking your blood again." Zero said. "It's annoying how you seem to forget that it's basic survival to protect oneself. Of course, I will not so recklessly let myself be killed for losing control." _At least not yet… _"And to tell me to drink just from you. I have no intention of drinking from someone, not from anyone…" _Though the thick Kuran blood was just too intoxicating he already wanted more…_

"Well then, I assume I don't need to remind you that you must not tell this to anyone, especially not to my circle." Kaname said. He was sure that if any of them knew what happened, they would immediately hunt Zero down and kill him without mercy. Since it was him who wanted the hunter to drink his blood, he wouldn't want the hunter to die because of it. Purebloods were extremely rare in number and their bloods were treated with so much reverence and value, especially because of the power and authority it held. And it wouldn't be surprising if other vampires tried to kill the hunter by drinking his blood.

Zero snorted as he smirked. "I bet they'll hunt me down and kill me, right? Don't worry, I value my life more than you think I do." _Again, I least for now…_

Kaname smiled before he looked around and his eyes turned to a blue rose beneath his feet. It was in full bloom and it had the strongest scent among the flowers. He bent down as he picked it up. "Do you know? These flowers bloom all year round. There isn't a night when they aren't in full bloom. It's strange, isn't it?"

Zero raised his eyebrow at the sudden change in topic. He didn't know if the pureblood had a mild schizophrenia or if he just wanted to annoy the hell out of Zero, so the hunter didn't answer and just stared at the flower that Kaname was now holding in his hands. The pureblood twirled it left and right before he smelled it. "Come to me when you need blood. I will not say no to you." And the brunette started walking away, holding the flower that slowly spun between his fingers.

Actually, the flower picking was not entirely done out of the blue. Kaname needed to really smell the flower of the blue rose up close so he could momentarily forget the scent of Zero's blood. _So he could walk away without drinking from the hunter… _He now realized how hard his order must have been to Aido and the others, to ignore the sweet and addicting scent of the hunter's blood. He now wondered what Aido did just so he would not bite the hunter during lunch time earlier.

Zero sighed as the scent of the pureblood started to disappear. He realized, however, that his breathe smelled of the vampire's blood and he immediately gulped in longing. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew he mustn't drink blood again, especially that blood, if he didn't want to lose his humanity. It was so breathtakingly delicious and his body would not be able to live without it if he kept on drinking the same thing. _And _that_ would be annoying… not to mention troublesome._

And then he felt as if a light bulb was lit inside his head. If he wanted to investigate the Moon Dorm, he just had to go there. He would have an immediate excuse to Kaname if he was seen loitering in the place. He would use the pureblood's proposition to his advantage… _And he felt like crap… _The pureblood, Cross, Yuuki… all of them were so kind to him, and yet he knew he couldn't give any kindness in return because he was here merely to expose their acts against the Association.

The President even told him to report even the slightest hint of Kaien Cross trying to ally himself with Kaname Kuran against the Association and vice versa. It was getting more painful, but he would kill his emotion if necessary just so he could do his mission well. _And that would be equal to killing himself…_

Zero came back to the Sun Dorm quietly. He went inside from his room's open window and immediately changed his clothes. The room was dark but he was still able to see clearly. He also felt that his body was lighter than normal, and he had more energy than normal. He looked at the mirror and saw that his eyes were back to their amethyst color. It was kind of reassuring that he was still himself in some ways, even though he had already took his first step into the other world, the world of vampires. His fangs had also retracted, and so were his long fingernails. And the claw marks on his neck and chest had just reduced to mere pink scar-like tender skin, which was also slowly beginning to vanish.

He breathed deeply before he opened the door and descended the stairs. He saw that the kitchen was still lit and his eyes immediately darted towards the clock hanging on the wall in the living room. It's already 10 in the evening. _He was late for supper… _He entered the kitchen with the intention of heating some leftovers, if there were, or cooking something for himself. He realized, now that his thirst was quenched, he was kind of hungry for real food. What he saw however immediately brought back his guilt, with so much vitality and strength. Cross smiled and Yuuki too looked really happy when she saw him. They were sitting on the table, their foods untouched, obviously waiting for him.

"I thought you'd immediately go to your room and not eat anything." Yuuki said. "Chairman said that you had a mission in the city so…" Zero was surprised but it didn't show on his face as he sat on one of the chairs. _So she knew he was a hunter… _But now that he thought about it, Yuuki must know everything so she could patrol at night as prefect. And she was Cross's daughter. _Of course she knew everything… _He remembered that Cross told him something like that. And the only thing that Yuuki didn't know was the fact that Zero was a vampire, and a Level D about to turn into a Level E at that. "Ah, sorry... for being too nosy…" She added when she thought she somehow offended him because of his lack of answer.

"No, it's alright. Sorry for taking too long…" Zero said to the girl before his gaze turned to the Chairman. "Chairman, I need to talk to you later."

Cross nodded before he turned into his child-like self again. "Okay, let's all eat!" The three of them ate silently as usual, with Yuuki and Cross talking to one another once in a while and Zero enjoying the peace.

"You should've started eating earlier. You didn't need to wait for me. I'm used to eating alone." Zero said in the middle of his meal. He knew he was being kind of rude but he also knew he had to say it. If missions like this happened again, he didn't know how his conscience would take it if they'd wait for him like this every time.

"Don't worry, if next time you didn't show up at 9pm, we will eat without you." Cross pouted and feigned that he was offended. Zero smiled a little and the Chairman chuckled. _As if that would happen… _Cross knew that if Zero was a little later than now, he would've gone out and looked for him. Zero, for him, was just like Yuuki. The teen might have looked strong and cold but he was actually kind and warm inside.

Their dinner was finished after some more minutes and Yuuki said that she'd wash the dish so Cross and Zero could talk. Cross was pouting as he left and Zero uttered his apology and gratitude. The two walked out of the kitchen and into Cross's office.

"So, how's your mission?" Cross asked as the two of them sat down. He didn't sit on the Chairman's chair but on the long sofa, together Zero. He knew he shouldn't ask about the mission since missions were generally regarded with secrecy, but he felt that it was the kind of question anyone would ask at the moment. He was glad when Zero didn't evade the question, even though he wouldn't have minded not being answered.

"I guess I can say it goes either way." Zero sighed. "I completed the mission, but it was kind of misinformed."

"Misinformed?" Cross immediately knew something unexpected happened when Zero still wasn't back after two or three hours. If there was one Level E vampire, it would be captured easily because Zero was a vampire now. His senses were far keener and sensitive than hunters and he was basically stronger, even if he was weak now and thirsty. And he immediately smelled Zero's blood when the hunter entered the kitchen. It wasn't like him, a member of Elite Force, to be hurt by a single Level E. "What do you mean misinformed? And are you alright? You smell of so much blood… your own blood…"

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'm alright, I guess." Zero smiled even though he was hurting deep inside him. _Why did Cross have to be so kind..? _"The mission clearly says that there is only a single Level E vampire in the town. But when I got there, there were more than twenty of them, waiting for me."

"You mean an ambush?!" Cross couldn't help but exclaim. The idea was just too preposterous, but he knew Zero was not lying. "But Level Es tend to act only on their instincts. They do not know how to coordinate with others…"

"They are very coordinate, Chairman." Zero clenched his fist tightly. "The annoying part was that I was able to smell just three of them at first. But when I got in the location, an old church at the end of the town, there was suddenly more and more of them. They kept attacking me and… Aido, Kain, and Ichijou helped."

Cross sighed as he chuckled, surprising Zero. "At least call them senpai, Zero-kun. I know you don't like vampires very much, but as a prefect, you should be more of a model… But I'm thankful they were able to help you."

Zero thought he should tell Cross about the hunter, but he was not sure how Cross would react. It would be painful if he acted indifferently, because it wasn't his business anymore. He already left the Association after all. And Zero also thought that Cross might get involved in some things he was not supposed to get involved with, if Zero told him. And yet, he felt that he was lying by hiding the truth. He felt he really needed to tell the Chairman about it.

Cross noticed that Zero seemed to be struggling for words, so he said, "You don't have to tell me anything anymore if you don't want to. And you can just tell me things that are convenient for you. I won't mind." He smiled kindly and Zero now knew he just needed to tell Cross about it, if only to satisfy his conscience.

"…Actually, there was a hunter presence when I got there." Zero said, which surprised Cross a bit.

"So you're not the only one deployed." Cross said as he smiled. "Well, isn't that nice? I thought you fought all by yourself before the Night Class students arrived."

"…I did. The hunter was just watching from inside the church as I struggled to kill every last one of those Level Es." Zero gritted his teeth. "That hunter is not my ally. That same hunter was the one who shot me the night I became a vampire. He shot me so I wasn't able to protect myself against a pureblood. And just like then, he didn't come out to save me. No, from the beginning, he wasn't there to save me."

"Zero-kun…" Cross was shocked to hear that. "Are you saying there's a traitor among the hunters? Or is the Association trying to set you up?"

Zero was also surprised at what Cross just said. "I-I still don't know. Please don't tell anyone. I still don't know…" Once again, Zero felt the guilt eating from inside him. Cross's body felt so warm as he hugged Zero tightly. Zero was surprised but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling.

"I know it's not my place to say this, but…" Cross said quietly. "Please, don't hesitate to ask for my help. I'll come help you in any way I can. I promise." Zero gulped as the lump in his throat felt like it was choking him. The guilt he could feel right now was just too much. Cross had been so kind and caring… _Please don't be like this anymore…_

"I appreciate it. I'll ask your help if I deem it necessary." Zero answered, trying his hardest not to break his voice.

Cross chuckled as he stood up. "There's no need to be so formal, Zero-kun." Zero stood up as well.

"I need to do my report about it." He said. "But I won't mention anything about the hunter." Cross's tensed expression considerably lightened when he heard the last line. He didn't want Zero's situation to get any worse by saying such things to the higher ups, who might have been the one behind the incidents. Zero bowed before he left the room. _Cross now wondered if he should tell Zero the truth…_

.

.tbc.

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**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Umm… review please? ˆoˆ**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Hi, everyone! Thank you for all the enthusiastic reviews that I received from the last chapter! For those who have some questions, don't worry because they will be answered little by little as the story progresses. Anyway, here's the next chapter! ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 8**

Zero went back to his room before he sighed. He sat on his table and started writing the report on his emergency mission. It was brief and no other hunter was mentioned in the letter. He mentioned that there seemed to be more Es hiding in the place and that some noble class vampires were sent to hunt down the Level Es as well, but that they all left without contact with Zero after the Level Es were exterminated.

He knew he was kind of hiding his interaction with the vampires, and the mere fact that he was covering some information on his report was kind of shocking even to him. He was not the kind to actually withhold any information. _But the deep guilt was eating him from the inside out… _And now that he saw how Kaname and the others lived here peacefully and quietly, he didn't know if what he was doing was really right.

He knew he was having some confusion because of the earlier incident, but he couldn't help it. His supposed ally had turned his back on him and even indirectly participated in turning him into a vampire, ambushing him twice while his supposed enemies were the ones helping him when he was in a pinch. _Anyone would have doubts… _He knew he swore loyalty to the Association, but it was only because they were the ones who treated him as family, and he wished to repay them. _But if the Associations were the ones behind this… _Zero gritted his teeth and immediately shook his head. He was just here for a few days and his loyalty was already wavering. _How could he stoop so low..? _

After some more inner struggles, he only took a little break before he started writing again, this time more serious and longer than the other one. _It's his first report about his secret mission. _He wrote that for now, he saw no alliance or any of the sort between Cross and Kuran that went against the law of the Association. The only thing that could have been tying them together was the fact that both of them seemed to be wishing for co-existence between vampire and humans. The Cross Academy was indeed divided between humans, or the Day Class students, and the Night Class students, which were the vampires. The Day Class students and their teachers didn't know anything about the true nature of the Night Class students and treated them as celebrities because of their physical appearance and their mental capabilities. But aside from that, they didn't seem to know anything at all. And the vampires were all following Kaname Kuran's orders. They did not bother Day Class students even though some of them did go to school grounds in the light of day. Prefects serve as the ones who took care of students and patrol at night, and Zero had become one of them. The vampires didn't drink blood, but a kind of pill that relieved their thirst. Of course, there were those who couldn't take the pills because their body wasn't used to it. But those vampires were said to be drinking from other vampires as well, not from humans. It was Kuran's order.

Of course, Zero didn't mention anything about the attack on him which turned him into one of those vampires and the hunter who shot him.

After that, he slept for the night while thinking of how he would sneak out of school tomorrow to deliver the letters to the town's post office.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Before Zero knew it, two weeks had already passed without much incident. He started patrolling the school, only to end up being in the same roses-filled lakeside every time his mind wandered off. There wasn't much contact between him and the other vampires and he was partly grateful, for no one was bothering him at all, and also partly irritated. His mission was going very slowly but he knew he should be patient. He knew that rushing things would most likely bring more failure than success, based on experience. He was still the same aloof and cool person that his female classmates tried to devour with their eyes. And even after two weeks, the only classmates' name he knew of were Yuuki's and Kaori's, but he had never talked with the latter. He always ordered different meals in the school cafeteria but the only thing he drank was milk. He also realized that many of the students in the cafeteria also drank milk now.

Today was Saturday morning and he knew there should have been a letter to him from the Association. He woke up with the intention of going directly to the post office, but was interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said as he put on a sleeveless shirt. The garment had a white v-shaped collar but its overall color was black.

"You're looking really cool in there." Cross smiled as he entered the room and saw Zero dressed like that. Zero gave him a small smile. By now, Cross knew that smile meant that the hunter was embarrassed, but nevertheless happy.

"What's up?" Zero answered casually as he let Cross entered. He knew it wasn't like Cross to come in his room so early in the morning just to greet or praise him.

"There's a letter for you, from the Association." Cross answered, and Zero was glad he was able to receive that information without any panic or fear showing on his face.

"A letter?" He asked simply. "Must be their answer to my report about the incident last week."

"It's here." Cross simply answered as he put the _black _envelope on the bed. Zero gritted his teeth when he saw it. He knew that Cross was also a hunter. There's no way the Chairman wouldn't realize that something about it was off. _That Zero had a secret mission… _

"_Why did they have to deliver it to him of all people?" _Zero thought as he uttered a 'thank you.' Cross though, even if he knew something, simply smiled and turned around to leave. Zero was quite surprised that he voiced something he knew he shouldn't have. "Aren't you going to ask about it, Chairman?"

Cross turned around. He was still smiling. "About why is the envelope black if it was about the answer to your report? Even though the envelope last week was obviously red in color? Because it wasn't the answer to that red one, right?" He then sighed as he walked closer and patted Zero's head kindly. "Zero-kun, it's a black envelope. It means you mustn't disclose any information about it to anyone. It also means that it's not my place to ask."

Zero felt more like crap than ever. He looked down as he let Cross pat his head. "Sorry…"

"Now, now, Zero-kun." Cross chuckled. "There's nothing to apologize for. I'll leave now so you can open the content." He turned around again and this time, he opened the door and left.

"I'm really sorry…" Zero uttered as the door closed behind Cross. He sighed as he looked at the envelope. He sat on the bed and took it. The content was a simple 'good job' and some crappy half-assed gratitude about his work. _The Association didn't find his report satisfactory at all. _Aido's words of 'you did a good work' had more sincerity in them than the letter. And now he thought he knew the reason why. _Because he didn't report any anomaly… _He sighed again as he put the letter back in the envelope. Now, he needed to burn it as a form of secrecy. He lit the corner of the envelope with a lighter and let the fire eat everything.

He looked at his desk and saw a small bottle that was still half full of crimson-colored pills. He was already thirsty since the other day but he didn't want to take the pills anymore, at least he didn't want them as long he could bear the thirst. There were fewer students today because there were no classes on Saturday and Sunday, so he thought he could at least hang on until Monday before he would take at least one of those disgusting pills. He now wondered how those damned vampires could take something as disgusting as blood pills.

"Zero?" He heard Yuuki called on the other side of the door followed by some knocks.

"Come in." He simply said as he put the bottle in his pocket.

Yuuki poked her head on the door and smiled when she saw Zero. "My friends and I are going to town to have some fun. Come with us."

"Are your friends all females, right?" Zero asked. "No, thanks."

"No, no! There are males too!" Yuuki said as she tried to persuade him. "I just think that it will be better if you will come with us…"

He looked at Yuuki and saw how those chocolate puppy eyes tried to persuade him. He couldn't help but smile. "Alright. But I will immediately leave if I get bored."

The look on Yuuki's face was so dazzling he couldn't help but smile again. "Alright! I'll make sure you're not bored then!"

He didn't change his clothes anymore because he just put it on a little while ago. He wasn't the type to dress appropriately just to suit the occasion after all. Four people, two males and two females, were waiting for them in the living room and Zero immediately thought how he wanted to go back in his room. The four of them were all Zero and Yuuki's classmates but Zero only recognized Kaori among all of them so Yuuki had to introduce them to one another. The cool guy wearing black long sleeves was Yoru. Sai was the one with the glasses and Rika was the one with waist-length braided hair. That much Zero could remember. They were very friendly, except Yoru who kept on annoying the hell out of Zero by visibly ignoring him or snorting every time he tried to talk. And thus, their little stroll in town started.

"Ah, let's all go to the cake and ice cream shop!" Rika suggested happily. Kaori and Yuuki also looked excited and the guys had no choice but to follow. Yuuki looked at Zero and she looked really happy when he nodded. She didn't want Zero to feel out of place at all.

They all ordered their favorite flavors of ice cream cake before they sat on the table beside the glass window. They all talked animatedly while waiting, except Zero who just waited in silence. He waited for his order to come as he watched the people outside walk. Some of them looked very busy and some were walking very idly. He wished his life was more like the latter. Not that he disliked his current life. He just felt very far from the students beside and in front of him, talking about nothing but school and social life, talking about others' situations, and about their dreams and everything. He couldn't have that. _Especially because after this, he'd die…_

"I bet he'll drink milk again after finishing the cake and ice cream." Zero's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the lines. It seemed Yoru was really doing his best to annoy him this whole time. The hunter didn't react nor looked at his classmate. He knew it was infuriating the other to be ignored.

"What's wrong with that?" Yuuki pouted. "It's not like there's a law that says a person cannot drink milk after finishing an ice cream cake…"

Sai chuckled. "He was just joking, Yuuki."

Zero turned his attention to the waiter who held a tray containing all of their orders. He was just too glad he could finally eat and get the whole affair over with. He didn't like hanging out with these kinds of companions much longer. He was the serious type of person and he didn't know why the hell Yoru was picking on him. He didn't realize it was basically because he was a serious type that his classmate found it fascinating to irritate him on purpose. Zero's order was a chocolate ice cream cake. He looked at it for a while, thinking why the hell he ordered something so sweet when he wasn't that much of a fan of sweet things. He smiled when he realized. _Well, because it's __**chocolate **__in color…_

"What, you remember something from chocolate ice cream cakes?" He looked up only to see Yoru smirking. It didn't feel that he was simply teasing Zero at all. The guy was mocking him.

"What's wrong with you?" Zero asked. He was seriously annoyed by now that he longer cared about their so-called socialization, if one would call it that. Yuuki and the others stopped from eating and worriedly looked at the two of them. "You've been annoying me ever since earlier."

"Z-Zero-kun…" Yuuki called. "Yoru-kun, stop picking on Zero!" Yoru shrugged and started eating. Zero also calmed down a bit with Yuuki's words and ate his fill silently. But all of them ate with so much tension that the ice cream cake didn't taste much delicious anymore. The moment Zero finished, Yoru started again.

"It's not like I find you really boring, but I just think you're not the type to hang around with us." Yoru continued, ignoring Yuuki's words earlier. "I suppose you feel too out of place right now. It's not like you're really part of our group anyway. You only bring tension to us by making us conscious of you. It's really annoying, you know. Well, feel free to leave."

"Just say it if you don't want me here." Zero's glare was starting to turn deadly. "I'll leave." And as he said that, he immediately stood up. He was beside the glass window so it was an effort to get to the isle.

"Ah, Kiryuu!" All of them turned around when they heard a very familiar voice. Aido looked surprised to see them. Zero looked very annoyed earlier, but he too was surprised.

"Aido." He simply said before he went out of the damn place. Aido followed him with his blue gaze.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, more to himself than to Zero's former companions. But before he could even think too much, Yuuki almost bumped into him and ran after Zero. He then looked at the remaining members of Zero's group who equally stared at him. At the far corner was a guy who looked really annoyed. He smiled because aside from annoyance, he could clearly see that the guy also felt _concern_.

The blonde vampire bought some cakes before he too went out of the place.

"Zero-kun! Wait!" Yuuki called as she ran after the silver-haired hunter. Zero was really annoyed at the moment so he didn't want to see Yuuki or anyone. He continued walking briskly without looking back, like he was hearing nothing. He didn't even know where he was going. He knew he was not welcomed in that school. He was someone who lived his life everyday with the thought of not seeing the next sunrise. He was hunting and killing vampires so that ordinary humans could enjoy an easier life. His life was too different from theirs even though they were in the same age group. He was currently doing a mission which could kill him any moment. And after that, he was resolved to killing himself just so he would not attack anyone. It hurt so much. It hurt how he lived in constant darkness, like the race he hated. Or rather, used to hate.

_It hurt how he felt so alone…_ He felt so alone suffering just so others could live ignorantly.

Just now, when he saw Aido, he felt that the blonde was someone who knew him better than any of his classmates. Aido was sometimes annoying, and really annoying, but Zero felt that he was warmer than any of the Day Class students, except Yuuki of course. Maybe it's because he was really changing into something he wouldn't have imagined he would be. _Maybe… maybe, just maybe, he was starting to see himself as one of the vampires…_

After some minutes, Yuuki was at last able to catch up to him and immediately grabbed his arm. "Zero-kun, wait!"

He sighed before he turned around. "What?"

Yuuki saw nothing in his eyes but quiet pain and rejection. She couldn't take it so she cupped Zero's cheeks with her small hands. "We're sorry… I'm really sorry…"

"I just realized…" Zero voiced quietly. "I don't belong here."

"N-No! Of course not, Zero-kun!" Yuuki couldn't help it when her tears started falling down her cheeks one by one. "Y-You… You just think that way. It's not like that for me at all!"

Zero smiled painfully. "Sorry for making you cry." He started wiping Yuuki's tears just as she hugged him. He was distracted by a loud round of applause and as he looked at their surrounding, he immediately felt his cheeks colored. They were in a busy street and they just created a scene. Some of the people were also teary-eyed and touched, and some thought it was a film shooting. Zero immediately held Yuuki by the wrist and walked away without another word. He was embarrassed to the bone.

"Ah, s-sorry, Zero-kun." She voiced, also a bit embarrassed. She was also sorry for Zero because she knew the guy was relatively a shy type.

"Ah, no. It's alright." Zero said. He turned to Yuuki and smiled again. "Thank you. Will you still go with your friends? I'll go back to school."

Yuuki was still undecided but she knew Zero needed space. "Of course." And she ran towards the opposite direction. Zero looked at her leaving figure for a while before he started walking again.

_How he wished he could just be like her… warm and free…_

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

The town was crowded despite being relatively small. Zero decided he didn't want to lose his mind by hearing so much noise and voices at the same time so he went to a more secluded place in the area. He saw a small shop of pasta and decided he wanted to eat something aside from the cake. He opened the door of the shop and saw, to his surprise, Ruka and Kain sitting at the far corner. The two noticed his presence immediately but they didn't react much. They just glanced at him before they talked to one another again.

Zero sat in one of the tables and immediately noticed that the place, a small restaurant, was somehow high-class. The people wore office uniforms and many wore branded clothes made by famous fashion designers. And Zero, who was only wearing a sleeveless black shirt and tight jeans, was relatively ignored by the waiters. But the waitresses were very much happy to serve him because he looked so gorgeous and cool despite what he was wearing. He ordered the thing he usually ordered in restaurants, carbonara and milk, before he let himself relaxed. He didn't know why he felt so relatively relaxed even though there were two noble class vampires present in the place. _And now there were four of them, excluding Zero of course. _

He glanced at the door to see who had just arrived, even though he could already recognize their presence, and saw that it was Takuma followed by a petite guy whose name was Shiki, or so Zero remembered. Shiki was a famous magazine model but he was second only to his very beautiful mother. Zero's eyes darted back to his own table as he watched Takuma and Shiki sat at the table beside Ruka and Kain's. The four of them greeted one another briefly before they all went back to their privacy.

Zero felt that another vampire entered the restaurant and he sighed. The place was starting to be filled with vampires and his hunter senses was starting to get really alert. He felt the fifth vampire get nearer to his table until he was merely some feet away from Zero.

"Oy, Kiryuu." Zero sighed again when he heard who it was, not that he didn't recognize the male's presence earlier. Aido looked annoyed when Zero didn't act like he heard him. "Oy, Kiryuu!"

"Shut up. I heard you the first time." Zero looked behind his shoulder and saw Aido with a crumpled face. "What is it?"

"Why did you leave your friends back there?" He sat in front of Zero's chair, across the table even though he wasn't invited.

"What is that to you? And they're not my friends." Zero simply answered. Aido was silent for a while. A waiter immediately asked about his order. Aido simply said that he would be ordering what Zero ordered. The hunter immediately arched an eyebrow. "Do you even know what I ordered?"

"Of course not! Why would I know something like that?" Aido said like he was too proud of it. "I simply said that so they will not bother me anymore. And you didn't answer my question."

"If you don't like being bothered, then don't go to restaurants." Zero answered. "And I don't have to answer. Like I said, it wasn't your business."

"But that guy looked really…" Aido shrugged as he let go of the topic.

Actually, he was more concerned that Zero headed to some place where there weren't much people. The hunter couldn't have handled those Level Es in the old church if he was alone. It was obvious to the blonde that the mission was somehow a trap made to ambush Zero. His Kaname-sama said so too. The blonde, after leaving the cake shop earlier, immediately looked for the hunter in the town and finally felt his presence inside the restaurant.

The two of them didn't talk anymore. Zero just looked at Aido with half a glare and half curiosity. He didn't know what the blonde vampire was plotting. He could've just gone together with his four vampire friends but he was sitting with Zero, on the other side of the restaurant. Aido acted like he was cool and surly, glaring at Zero with more intensity than the hunter's. After a while, their order came and Aido looked really shocked at the meal he was about to eat.

"W-What the..?" He blurted out as he saw the pasta filled with milk and the glass of hot milk. It was almost lunch time and Aido couldn't believe Zero would order something like that.

"I told you. You should've asked me what I ordered before you ordered the same thing." Zero couldn't help but smile a little at the shocked expression of the blonde in front of him. He felt really victorious at the fact that Aido wore an expression far from his usual surly or cool or lady-killer expression. "And by the way, why don't you sit together with your friends? Surely you noticed their presence ever since you entered?"

"Are you an idiot!?" Aido hissed, flabbergasted at Zero's lack of consideration. That's why he thought the hunter was really annoying. "Can't you see the four of them are in their own world?! They are all too occupied with their lovers!" He sighed in exasperation at the _obvious _fact that he had to say.

"T-They're lovers..?" Zero was only too surprised to hear that. He looked at the two pairs and saw that the way Takuma looked at Shiki was indeed very different from the way he looked at other people. Kain, whom the hunter found as someone very annoying, also looked very warm and happy right now. They all appeared more dazzling than usual. "Even Ichijou and that guy Shiki..?"

"Of course!" Aido was too surprised at Zero's reaction. "Can't you see how they can't seem to take their eyes off one another? Really, Kiryuu, I thought hunters have really keen senses…" He shook his head in disappointment. "Do you know that vampire lovers tend to drink only from one another?"

"…Really?" Zero didn't know that.

"Of course, sharing blood is something someone will never let his or her lover do with anyone else." Aido said in an academic manner. "It's because sharing blood is also a form of sex." He couldn't help but blush at his own words.

"Really? So you did what you did to me knowing all of that?" Zero arched an eyebrow. He wouldn't like it if Aido nodded. But to his relief, Aido actually disagreed more than enthusiastically.

"You're wrong! Sharing blood is very different from just biting another person!" Aido sighed at the thick-headed hunter in front of him and Zero had to fight the urge to strangle him. "Listen, blood sharing is only possible when two lovers are bonded together… Oops, I cannot tell you any more than that. Even though you're a vampire now, you're still basically a hunter. Hunters are our enemies." He simply said and shrugged. He doubted if Zero would have a reason to actually do anything against his friends. The hunter would be someone totally heartless if he did that. And Aido would do everything to hunt him down. He thought that but the innocent way Zero's face looked as he stared at the two pairs of lovers was simply stunning Aido couldn't help but stare at him. _So he was innocent to those kinds of things…_

"What?" Zero asked when he noticed Aido was looking at him in a rather peculiar way. He felt like the blonde wanted to eat him or something. "You look like you want to eat me. Don't tell me you're thirsty again…"

"Of course not!" Aido visibly reddened at the accusation. Although Zero's assumption was innocently wrong, it wasn't too far off. "How about you? Aren't you thirsty at all? I mean, you haven't drank blood from anyone ever since you became a damn Lev–, vampire."

"It's none of your business." Zero merely said as he started eating his meal quietly. Aido too was forced to eat his order because he couldn't bear to be accused of being snobby when it came to food, especially by the hunter. After their meal, Zero was satisfied and full. Aido found the meal not as repulsive as he originally thought. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it.

"Where are you going?" Aido asked when Zero put the money on the table and stood up.

"I'm going back to the dorm." He simply answered before he left Aido on the table.

"Oy, wait!" Aido did the same before he too stood up. He was about to run after the hunter but when he saw the two pairs of vampire lovers stifling their grins, he immediately stopped and glared at them. Kain chuckled as he told something to Ruka. The female vampire laughed softly at the supposed joke which Aido knew was about him. Takuma went back to talking with Shiki as the latter shrugged. Aido was really annoyed as he walked out of the place. And by then, he had already lost the hunter who also had a habit of hiding his presence.

Zero walked in the crowded street alone. Some people would glance in his direction with malicious grins or eyes that wanted to devour him but he didn't have any time for any of them right now. He knew he should hurry back to the Sun Dorm because he could feel his throat burning again. But that was precisely the reason why he also didn't want to go back. He didn't know if he should hurry up or if he should stay away from the school. He just knew he should stay away from this many people. Zero started to run in a direction with fewer people to at least keep his thirst at bay. He could smell their blood even though he could see no crimson liquid flowing outside their bodies. It had been two weeks since he last drank from Kaname and he was already thirsty. He took three pills last Saturday and also three pills last Wednesday but they weren't enough to completely satisfy his thirst. The pain was too intense that just thinking about the feeling was making him feel sick. He abruptly stopped when he realized something. He fumbled his pocket for the bottle he knew he was carrying. He was thankful when his hands felt the familiar bottle. Even though his _black _sleeveless would immediately turn _red_ later, he knew he needed to take the pills or he would lose to his vampire nature right here and now.

Zero stopped in a seemingly abandoned alley and hastily opened the lid of the bottle. His eyes were glowing red and his fangs were so aroused. They wouldn't forget the first time they bit someone, and they were visibly aching to do that again. Zero immediately put three pills in his mouth and swallowed them without water. He leaned on a wall and looked at the clear sky. The sun didn't hurt him much but he still felt a bit uncomfortable. He wondered how Aido and the others were able to endure the prickling heat of the sun. _They had their lovers with them so he guessed they wouldn't even notice there's a blazing sun up in the sky right now…_

He felt his muscles relaxed a little as the pills did their momentary role, to lessen his thirst, and not to completely satiate him. He only looked at his surrounding when he already felt better. The place was filled with debris of different sizes. He started looking at the familiar-looking place and found that he was leaning on the side wall of an abandoned old church. _This place again… _The last time he went to the place was about two weeks ago but there wasn't much change in the area, except for the fact that there's a vampire presence in the church right now. Zero instinctively reached for his belt, only to find that his Bloody Rose wasn't there, again. The vampire was a pureblood and he somehow knew it was Kaname even before he entered the church and inhaled the pureblood's scent. He walked as silently as his vampire and hunter nature allowed, even though he knew the other party had probably already sensed him even before he sensed the pureblood.

"Do you know how it shatters my pride when you to choose taking the pills you hate while constantly depriving yourself of my blood?" A voice behind him said and he knew, even before he turned around, that the pureblood was already watching him ever since he entered the place.

Zero was surprised even though he already knew the vampire was there. For Kaname to suddenly spoke from behind him somehow alerted his hunter senses. If Kaname had the intention of killing him, the pureblood would have probably succeeded without Zero being able to fight back. _If Kaname would be the one to hunt him down… He'd surely die before Cross could even shoot him. _He wasn't afraid but he felt very uncomfortable being alone with Kaname in a place where he was almost ambushed to death. "What are you doing here..?" He was visibly tensed when he spoke.

"Investigating." The pureblood answered simply before he walked gracefully, approaching Zero, stopping only a mere foot from the hunter. "Why do you want to take those pills more than my blood?"

"Like I said, I don't want to drink blood from anyone, especially not you… at least as long as my mind works." Zero looked away. He didn't like it when Kaname was so near his face. He could feel the pureblood's breath on his cheeks and it was making him uncomfortable.

He was looking away so he didn't see how Kaname smiled. "I didn't think you'd swallow your words this fast."

"I'm not swallowing my words!" He glared at the vampire. He felt really offended. Of course, Kuran wouldn't understand his situation because the damn pureblood was born a vampire. He didn't know that a human would find it really horrible and disgusting, on top of being inhumane, to bite another creature just to suck blood. He wouldn't understand how horrible it was to feel so helpless when he's thirsty; or how terrifying it was to feel his mind going blank as his hunter virtues and beliefs goes outside the window.

Zero was about to walk towards the door, which was behind Kaname, when the pureblood grabbed his arm. Zero wondered why people liked grabbing his arm. Yuuki did the same thing earlier. He turned around sharply and Kaname was surprised at the intensity of the emotions hidden deep beneath those amethyst hunter eyes. "What is it that you want?!" Zero growled at him. "Do you find it really amusing that I suffer and try to struggle in obvious futility?!"

"No, actually…" Kaname's eyes, which Zero noticed were closed, finally opened. They weren't chocolate in color anymore, but crimson, deep glowing crimson that made the pureblood look even more powerful and intimidating. "Actually, Kiryuu, I'm thirsty too… You just had to get near me in the worst possible time…" Zero's eyes widened when he realized the situation he was currently in.

Kaname found Zero's reaction very amusing. Those slightly parted lips and those wide amethyst colored eyes were really gorgeous and awfully seductive. Zero felt Kaname's hand on his chest and he was pushed gently. He didn't know what happened until the impact of that act shoved him on the wall just beside the door, at least three meters from where he was standing earlier. Zero felt like all the air in his lungs was forcefully pumped out by the force. He coughed some blood and it flowed out of his mouth in a way that made Kaname lick his lips. He stared at Kaname as the latter, who seemed really amused, smiled seductively. Zero knew that if he was just an ordinary human, he would've immediately passed out, or worse, had many of his bones broken.

"K-Kuran… What do you think… you're doing..?" He asked while in pain. He was about to wipe his mouth with his hand when Kaname suddenly appeared in front of him and held both of his hands above his silver hair. The pureblood used only one hand and his other hand slipped under Zero's sleeveless shirt and explored the hunter's muscle toned but slender stomach. Zero gasped at the cold hand and tried to struggle from Kaname's grip, especially when the pureblood's hand continued to travel upward.

Zero felt his heart beating faster as Kaname's hand slowly went nearer and nearer it. The pureblood wasn't satisfied and he started nibbling Zero's left ear. His mouth travelled lower and lower, sucking the skin behind the hunter's ears. Zero shuddered as the hot mouth and tongue started to turn him on. His mind was starting to black out from the intense pleasure of the touch and it was hard fighting it. "Kuran… Don't… please… stop it…"

Kaname wasn't really the type to lose control from thirst. He just had to isolate himself for a while and go back to the dorm after sunset because the sun would drain more of his energy. But then the hunter just had to go to this abandoned church of all places. Zero's hunter blood was just too strong to resist and before he could even prepare himself, he already lost it. He was acting on his instinct and he felt that making Zero feel deep pleasure would make his blood even more wonderfully mouth-watering and delicious.

The hunter couldn't help but groan when he felt the pureblood's totally aroused fangs grazed the skin of his neck. Kaname was gripping his hands tight and his body was basically trapped between Kaname's warm, and also _hard_, body and the wall. He gritted his teeth as he tried his hardest not to scream or worse, moan. He almost forgot to breathe when Kaname's fingers pinched his nipple. He thought he would really pass out. He didn't know these kinds of sensation because the only sensations familiar to him were the senses of pain, danger, and death. Kaname's mouth travelled down his neck until he abruptly stopped and proceeded to the other side of his neck, the one where there's no hunter seal. _Zero's whole body felt so hot and he knew he was kind of blushing from either the heat or embarrassment._

"Kiryuu… You smell like milk…" The pureblood whispered seductively. "Do you want me to feed you a different kind of milk..?" Zero at first couldn't understand what the pureblood meant, but when the meaning dawned to him, he was so shocked and embarrassed that he originally wanted to say something really harsh. But when Kaname started licking his ears again, he felt his strength draining away as he shivered, leaving nothing but weak moans escaping from his parted lips.

He shut his eyes tightly when he felt Kaname's fangs poking his skin. But Kaname didn't thrust them in but continued licking his neck. The pleasure was too much for Zero to handle and soon, he couldn't help but moan with every stroke of Kaname's tongue and every movement of the pureblood's hand under his clothes. Kaname was about to dip his fangs in the hunter's neck when from the back of his mind came a nagging thought. Zero was seriously thirsty and biting him would only increase his thirst. And above all, by biting him so forcefully like this, he would be hurting the hunter… _again._ His partially opened mouth slowly closed with much stronger self will than he could ever muster, even though the tips of his fangs still protrude. He let go of Zero's wrists and took a step backward, still slightly shaky because of his thirst.

"I'm sorry…" He voiced when he saw the almost petrified and wide-eyed hunter looking at him. His amethyst eyes reflected fear and embarrassment, and his body was trembling so much.

Zero was surprised that Kaname stopped. He was really sure the pureblood would bite him. He was first bitten when he was still human so the pain was so excruciating he didn't know if he would fight or would just let himself pass out and die. And now, the same thing was about to happen. Kaname was basically gentle in his caresses and his fangs were really not that intimidating. But Zero's experience was still so raw and his hunter side was rampaging inside him. He didn't even notice he was trembling until he saw that his hands were. But aside from those, he felt that he was really blushing deeply and a part of his body aside from his fangs was also aroused.

"Sorry…" Kaname repeated before he left the place in his pureblood speed.

Zero felt his knees gave out when the hard body pinning him on the wall suddenly disappeared. He was breathing raggedly and he knew it wasn't all because of fear. He stayed in the old church for a while, alone and uncaring, until the sun set and the place was enveloped with darkness.

"You're late!" Cross yelled at Zero in his child-like manner the moment the hunter came inside the dorm. "Yuuki said you're supposed to have been here before her but she got back an hour ago!"

"Sorry…" The young hunter smiled guiltily.

"By the way, we have a visitor." Cross turned serious again. "Come eat dinner with us, Zero-kun." It was Cross's turn to look apologetic.

Zero wondered who the visitor was. He came to the kitchen with Cross and saw, to his shock and embarrassment, the person he didn't want to see at the moment, or maybe forever. At that same time that he stepped into the kitchen, Zero felt the presence of pureblood inside the room. _Kaname must've been trying to conceal his presence from him. _Kaname, however, didn't act like there was something wrong. He merely glanced at Zero before he went back to talking happily with Yuuki. But it was Yuuki who talked to Zero when the latter came in so Kaname couldn't do anything.

"Zero-kun, you're back!" She said happily. "Yoru said he's sorry…" Zero was a bit surprised at the sudden topic. Actually, he had already forgotten about that because of the more recent _incident _with a certain snobby pureblood vampire with chocolate eyes. When he didn't answer, Yuuki continued. "We scolded him pretty hard for saying those things to you."

"You didn't have to." He said casually and felt an overwhelming hostile aura from the pureblood. Kaname was glaring at him and he didn't know why, until Yuuki told him the reason.

"Um, this person is my older brother." She introduced them. "He's Kaname-senpai. I'm sure you've seen him…" Zero was only too surprised at what he heard. And his eyebrows immediately creased. "Kaname-senpai, this is Zero-kun, my classmate and also a prefect. I'm sure you've already seen him in his patrols."

"I thought I told you not to call me Kaname-senpai. Just call me nii-san or nii-sama." Kaname said in a very gentle tone that Zero didn't know existed. And aside from that, Zero realized that Kaname actually didn't even pretend to greet him. The pureblood simply ignored the introduction by saying something like that. The young hunter sighed as he sat as far away from Kaname's seat as possible, though he wasn't that much successful seeing that the rectangular table was not a large one. He looked at Yuuki and Kaname. The two did have many things in common. Their eyes had the same color as well as their hair. They also had the same slender stature and the same creamy-colored skin. But Kaname was pureblood vampire, the Leader of the Moon Dorm, and Yuuki, though sometimes a bit of a monster when she's angry, was definitely and unmistakably human. _How could they be siblings..?_

Kaname and Yuuki, and sometimes Cross too talked animatedly while eating. Zero ate his share in silence but he didn't have the time to listen to their sibling conversation. _So in a sense, the three of them – Cross, Kaname, and Yuuki – were a family… _And he, _he's nothing but an outsider eating with them tonight. _

He remembered how he used to eat together with Ichiru. The two of them often ate alone because their parents were always in some mission or another. "Ichiru…" The name was nothing but an unconscious and silent whisper, but Kaname heard it nevertheless. And Cross too.

The older hunter immediately stopped talking and looked at Zero worriedly. "Zero-kun, are you alright?" He was beside Zero so he immediately put his hand on the hunter's back and patted Zero gently.

Zero looked at him in half surprise and half anxiety. He felt that he was caught doing something forbidden. "Of course. What is it?"

"Nothing. If you're alright, then that's okay." Cross tried to smile but knew he couldn't relax anymore after hearing that name. It's been a long time since he last heard it. The incident also hurt him so, and he knew Zero felt worse.

After their dinner, Yuuki wanted Kaname to talk to Zero more but Zero excused himself. "I'm still going to do my homework." Yuuki pouted but she still nodded. Of course, he had done that homework ages ago. He just needed some privacy, and possibly, some alone time in some place where there was no pureblood presence in the air.

"You can do that later, right? It's just Saturday. Why are you in so much hurry to leave, ZERO-KUN?" Zero felt like hitting a pureblood when Kaname uttered those words. Kaname was really testing his limit. He didn't know what was wrong with the pureblood earlier but Zero guessed that Kaname was back to his old annoying self now.

"Ah, KANAME, right? I really have to do that now because I'd be too sleepy later. I'm not someone who doesn't sleep at night. And I'll have so many things to do tomorrow." Zero answered. Both Cross and Yuuki looked at each other and the girl silently asked her guardian about the two males' relationship. Cross smiled and simply shrugged. The two males obviously knew one another, and their relationship wasn't that good.

"Zero-kun, I told you, you should call the Night Class members senpai." Cross sighed as he tried to interfere in the conversation. Zero snorted and Kaname suddenly looked so smug and satisfied that the hunter was lightly scolded on his account.

"Kaname-senpai, stop teasing him!" Yuuki feigned a pout and Kaname chuckled. Zero had never seen the pureblood like that, so alive and happy. _To have a family was a really wonderful thing…_ He couldn't bear to see anymore of that sibling relationship. It was reminding him of something he had lost a long time ago. _Something he would never be able to have no matter how hard he tried to dream of it… _He immediately turned around and left the kitchen without uttering another word. He ascended the stairs and entered his room quietly. As usual, his hand unconsciously locked the doorknob before he let go.

"Yuuki, who's that Yoru guy?" Kaname asked Yuuki casually, smiling like he usually did when he was on edge.

"Ah, he's a classmate. He said something hurtful to Zero-kun earlier so I had to apologize to Zero in his place. I was the one who invited Zero to hang out with us after all." Yuuki explained as he looked at Kaname. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." Kaname smiled gently when Yuuki looked at him innocently. "Are they close, Kiryuu and that guy?"

"Not really…" Yuuki looked at Kaname more keenly. "Why are you asking, nii-sama? Your face tells me it's not a mere question out of curiosity."

"It's just curiosity." Kaname laughed softly. "I just didn't think that that obnoxious and snobby hunter has a friend." Yuuki pouted but didn't ask anymore. She knew Kaname was lying to her, but if he didn't want to tell her, then she wouldn't pry anymore. She leaned her head on Kaname's shoulder and Kaname put his arms around her.

Actually, it was because a guy Kaname didn't know was mentioned that he immediately glared at Zero earlier. He knew he was being weird, getting annoyed because Zero knew someone in the school which he didn't know of. Maybe it was because he was too used to seeing Zero alone or with Yuuki only. _Yes, that was it…_

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**This is all for today, people! Thank you for reading, everyone! ˆoˆ**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Zero left Yuuki and Cross together with Kaname downstairs and headed upstairs alone quietly. He entered his room and, out of habit, immediately locked the door.

He glanced at the mirror and noticed how pale he looked. His mission wasn't going too well and the Association didn't seem too pleased with a report that said there's nothing going on under the surface of the school. But if Zero couldn't find anything, then he didn't need to report anything. He might be a professional hunter and spying was one of his jobs, but he wasn't about to create some stories just to satisfy the higher-ups in the Association. He wouldn't do anything that could destroy the setting of the school. Even if he was still somehow against vampires' co-existence with humans, he knew that the school was doing well to prove that it could happen.

He changed into a sweat shirt and went to the bathroom to wash his face and clear his mind, but he froze when he felt an all too familiar chest pain. It started as something tolerable, if not hurtful, but Zero found the pain was getting more intense by the second. It was even more intense than the last time. It seemed every time his body took the pills, the effect was getting stronger. But he also realized that three pills took more time to have an effect than just one pill. When he first took a pill, the effect came right after some minutes. But when he took three of them, the disgusting things took effect after at least half a day. _Perhaps if he drank more, it would take longer before the effect took place… _Either that or he would die from over dosage. And after the pills' temporary wonder wore off, the pain would be something he didn't want to feel even in his worst nightmare.

He clutched his chest as he struggled to breathe. He covered his mouth with his other hand just as he started coughing up blood. His knees gave out because of the intense pain and he slumped on the flooring of the bathroom without much poise. He gripped the edge of the toilet bowl as he continued throwing out crimson colored liquid. Some blood spilled on his shirt and more to the flooring than to the bowl. His body was trembling too much to even hold tightly onto something.

After some minutes of coughing continuously, his body finally gave out. He barely had the time to think of where his body would land when there was suddenly a swift air movement beside him and someone already caught him before his body even touched the floor. Zero sensed the presence a little too late but the scent was what made him sure Kaname was the one holding him from behind.

"This is what happens when you ignore my blood and drink something else." Somehow, Zero felt calmed at the sound of that cool voice. It meant Kaname wasn't angry at him for being humiliated in front of Yuuki and Cross. The voice held warmth and calmness that Zero never heard from the pureblood yet. It wasn't like the tone he used when speaking to Yuuki either, so it was just a voice for Zero. But his thoughts were too muddled up and he wasn't thinking right, so maybe that's also part of the reason.

Zero's body continued to tremble in Kaname's arms and the brunette was silently panicking. No wonder Aido helped the hunter even when they were in the middle of a fight. The other vampires whose bodies were not that inclined to take the pills would just throw up a small amount of blood, but their bodies were still okay and they could even joke around afterwards. But Zero was different. He looked like he was about to die and Kaname didn't like it. No. He _hated_ it, even though he didn't understand why he thought that way.

Actually, he had no intention of going in Zero's room, even when he smelled the blood. He was afraid to lose his control again and it would be a disaster when that happens. He couldn't understand why Zero's blood could make him feel so hot and excited. He desired Yuuki's blood but not with that intensity. If it was because Zero was a hunter, then why didn't Cross exhibit such blood as well? It's only with Zero that he could feel that way. And now that he realized it, there were so many things he couldn't understand when it came to Zero. He didn't like it when he was in the dark about something. And he somehow had the tendency to try to know everything about that certain thing, even to the point of possessing it. _Of course, that was it… He was merely interested because Zero was a mystery to him… That was merely it…_

Zero's body went limp and Kaname's panic initially intensified. "Kiryuu?!" But when he felt Zero's silent but even breathing, he was at last able to calm down. "You shouldn't be so stubborn." He voiced, but he knew that Zero was not merely being stubborn. Drinking blood from Kaname went against all of Zero's hunter principles. And it would somehow destroy that hunter's very identity.

Zero opened his eyes and saw that Kaname's eyes were not actually entirely chocolate in color. There was a tinge of crimson and they looked even more charming up close. Kaname blinked, perplexed at the hunter's lack of response. Zero was staring at his eyes directly but he was not moving. "Kiryuu? Oy, Zero? Can you hear me? Wait, can you even recognize me?"

Zero's unmoving body slightly shifted when he tried to talk. "Idiotic… pureblood..?"

"I guess you're not okay after all. Telling a pureblood that he's an idiot is a kind of sacrilege." Kaname's tone was serious but his eyes looked more amused than offended. No one had ever called him that, not in his entire life. Now that he had calmed down, he realized the scent of Zero's blood was just too strong to resist. He already took some pills earlier but his control was still being put to the test.

"Do I stink that much..?" Zero asked weakly when he noticed that Kaname trying to cover his nose very casually to not offend the hunter. Aido said that he didn't stink, but Kaname's nose was far more sensitive than Aido's and he could surely smell Zero. "Level Es smell like Level Es after all… All rotten and dead…" He tried his best to get up only to feel his muscles aching in the slightest movement. He couldn't even move his hands without exhausting the little energy remaining in his body.

Kaname realized Zero was taking what he was trying to do in the wrong way. "No, actually, it was the opposite." Zero looked confused and the pureblood knew he had to explain. "It's your blood. Its scent is too strong to resist."

"Aido said something like that too…" Zero mumbled. He felt very sleepy but he was trying his hardest to stay awake. A vampire – one that tried to attack him earlier – was beside him and he mustn't let his guard down, not that his guard was up in any kind of way right now. He couldn't understand his feeling, but he felt too calm at this moment, even when a pureblood vampire was beside him. Of course, his hunter side was kind of growling inside him, but it wasn't rampaging like what it usually did when a vampire was near.

"Drink from me." Kaname bit his lips with his fangs and the blood flowed from his mouth. "Take the blood as my apology for my behavior earlier in the church." Zero needed blood right now and he would be extremely thirsty if he didn't drink anything. He didn't have the energy or even the will to resist when he smelled the delicious scent of Kuran blood. The hunter's eyes turned crimson and glowed just as his fangs extended fully. Kaname helped him have a better position as he unbuttoned his black long sleeves. He tilted his head to make Zero more comfortable and have more access. The hunter sniffed and licked Kaname's neck which sent shivers of delight to the pureblood.

Zero didn't pleasure the pureblood much because his thirst was so much so that he couldn't even think straight anymore. He gently sunk his fangs in Kaname's creamy flesh, which made the pureblood let out a contented and pleasured sigh. Kaname closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of blood flowing out of his body and into Zero's mouth. He gently held the back of Zero's head and pulled him even more. The pleasure was so much that he tilted his head more. His fangs were also fully aroused and the feeling of Zero sucking him was making him even more excited. Zero drank the blood slowly. He wanted to savor its taste inside his mouth before he'd swallow the pure crimson bliss. It felt so rejuvenating and it calmed him down to no end. Kaname's blood was definitely on a league higher than any other.

When Zero finished, he felt more alive and warm inside him, though he was still a bit groggy from the throw up earlier. He felt so sleepy his red-alert hunter sense couldn't even make him stay awake and was almost out of it when he heard Kaname's voice. It seemed to have come from a far away place, but what it contained woken him up immediately. "Do you want to transfer to the Night Class?"

"…To become one of you? Don't make me laugh, Kuran." Zero snorted weakly. Even if it was just a joke, he hated how Kaname seemed to have assumed he was already a comrade of the vampires in the Night Class.

"You _are_one of us, Zero Kiryuu." Kaname indicated. "You might not want it, but you have no choice anymore. You can't revert back to being human just because of strong will." Zero's head was clearer now and he noticed he was still in Kaname's arms. He immediately sat straight and put a little distance between them.

"Why are you still here, by the way?" Zero said in his usually worn annoyed expression, obviously feeling awkward because of their earlier intimate position. "You've given me blood. There's no reason for you to stay anymore. And don't expect me to be gratified every time you give blood to me, because in the first place, it was your idea and I was always in no condition to refuse." He stood up, still blood-soaked, and went out of the bathroom, passing Kaname by an inch.

"Now that you're mind is a little clearer, are you sure you aren't going to ask anything?" Kaname voiced. Zero's back was facing the pureblood but he was sure Kaname was having that smug smile of his again.

"I don't have anything to ask you. Get out of my room now." The hunter simply answered before he took some change of clothes from the drawer. It wasn't that he was being complacent by having his back face a vampire, and a pureblood at that. It's just that he knew even if he was facing Kaname, he had no chance against the pureblood if he was to be attacked. _So why bother..? _When he faced Kaname again, the pureblood was already by the window, leaning on the wall and staring at him in amusement. Zero glared at him because the hunter felt that the pureblood was making fun of him. "What do you really want?"

"You want to ask me something, right?" Kaname asked again, this time more serious than earlier. "Like… why Yuuki is human and I'm a vampire. And why did Cross adopted her and I wasn't? Something along those lines…"

That certainly piqued Zero's interest, but his face remained stoic and indifferent. He didn't want the vampire to think he'd won. "I don't care. And if you're going to stay here just to show off or say something like that, then it'll be better, no, it'll be best if you're gone."

Kaname chuckled. "How cold, Zero-kun… Even though I was about to tell you just to satisfy your curiosity…"

Zero glared at him more intensely. "I don't care! Just get out!" He was a serious person and he didn't like being teased like that, especially by someone he barely knew. His temper wasn't that excellent and he didn't have the time to adjust just because Kaname was the one who gave him life in the form of blood. Kaname just chuckled and shrugged before he was gone. In the blink of an eye, Zero couldn't see him anymore and he also couldn't feel the pureblood's presence at all. He breathed deeply before he changed his clothes.

Kaname went to Moon Dorm with so much confusion. He was shocked at himself for actually trying to open up to someone he barely knew. It's not that he disliked it, but he was kind of nervous and afraid. He was showing nothing but amusement earlier, but he was actually afraid that Zero would really ask.

Zero was someone from the other side of the binary opposition but Kaname was so sure the hunter would understand his pain. It's not that he wanted Zero to feel the same kind of pain, but he just thought that sharing the story to Zero would lessen the depressing weight that his heart carried all this time. He couldn't open up to Yuuki because he was supposed to be the one to protect her and not the one to burden her heart with unnecessary worries. He couldn't open up to Cross either because the man was already kind enough to accept Kaname and Yuuki in his life. That was enough for the pureblood.

Of course, there was no way he could talk about his life with his vampire circle because they thought of him as someone strong and reliable. He was their Leader and if he showed any sign of having a weak heart, he would surely lose their trust and obedience. That would be very humiliating and would utterly destroy his dignity and position as a pureblood. That's why he was so adamant on making Zero accept him. The hunter was someone who lived because of his blood, someone who would not break his trust because there was nothing like that between them. Zero was simply a hunter whom he could dispose of after use, a disposable chess piece in his game. _Yes, that was merely it… _He breathed deeply as he tried his best to accept the obvious lie that his mind created just to satisfy his need to explain to himself.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Zero woke up feeling the sting of the sun in his eyes. He tried to open his eyes but the light was just too damn dazzling and annoying. _It seemed he forgot to close it last night… _But he wasn't this irritated to sunlight before. _Was he changing again..? Was his body adapting to the night life..? _He felt his mood soured and he knew he had to stop thinking for a while. He put on a sweat shirt and pants and left the Dorm to clear his mind. He wasn't thirsty so he was a bit more confident in staying outside his room. He let his mind wander off as he jogged the outer circle of the school for a while.

He remembered Yagari and Yuzuru, and wondered what could they be doing right now, or if they were having some mission or just simply lying on their backs in their bed and enjoying the quiet morning in idleness. Yagari was his master, the one who raised him after that incident ten years ago. Yuzuru was the closest friend he had in the Headquarters. He might be so damn annoying all the time, but Zero cherished him just like a brother. Right now, the thing he was most afraid of was for the two of them to know about his situation. He's sure there was no way those two wouldn't know sooner or later. But he preferred that they found out after his death, after this mission. That way, they wouldn't have to see him so different, so unmistakably… _vampire._

Zero blinked and found out he was already jogging in the school yard. The morning air felt so refreshing but the sun was kind of hurting his skin. He continued jogging nonetheless.

After some minutes of circling the yard, he saw a blonde male sitting in one of the benches, trying to hit on girls. He raised an eyebrow at the damn eloquence that Aido was showing just to flatter the girls, who looked just like any other girl in the campus in Zero's eyes. When the girls saw the silver-haired hunter, they immediately bowed to Aido and left. They knew that Aido was banned on school grounds during the day even if there was no class. A prefect, such as Zero, would surely report it and the two didn't want to get involved. Aido put on an irritated face and looked at Zero, who merely looked at him back.

"What do you think you're doing, annoying me so early in the morning?" Aido asked when Zero was nearer. He saw that the hunter was soaked in sweat from jogging. His silver hair was darker in color because it was a little wet and some of it was stuck on his forehead and cheeks. He looked really dazzling and Aido gulped as he looked away.

"Just so you know, I didn't do anything." Zero tried to act innocent. He knew he was the reason why those girls left, but he was not about to accept that when he didn't even do anything directly. "And what are you doing here so early in the morning? I didn't think you're so much of a rule-breaker, Aido. Kuran will surely sigh if he sees you."

"Oy, don't just blurt out Kaname-sama's name like that!" It seemed the only thing that remained in Aido's head was the so-called insult about Kaname not being called with any honorific. Zero sighed as he stretched and was about to continue jogging when Aido walked in his way.

"What are you doing?" Zero asked casually.

"Trying to ruin your morning, just like you did to mine." The blonde smirked, but that only amused Zero. He was feeling so awful so early in the morning, and Aido might just be the one to help him forget his other problems, mainly because the blonde was a walking problem himself. Zero knew the blonde would get even more annoyed if he would stop jogging and go to somewhere else, and he just had somewhere in mind. He walked to Aido's right and left the blonde without another word. "Oy! You, Kiryuu! Wait!"

Zero entered the school cafeteria and went directly to the counter. Aido followed him and also went to the same place. There weren't many students yet, but the sight of Zero and Aido together immediately brought their morning energy to a higher level. Aido, who was so concern in keeping his cool appearance, waved back to the students and sent some flying kisses, which made the whole cafeteria radiantly animated and energetic. Zero only snorted and looked at the menu.

"Carbonara, sir?" The girl at the counter asked kindly and Zero only nodded.

"Yuck, that milky pasta again?" Aido grimaced, trying to annoy Zero.

"And burger." Zero added, ignoring Aido's comment. It's not like it was Aido who would eat it anyway. Afterwards, he went to the vending machine and put some coins to get two bottles of milk.

"Are you a cat or something?" Aido asked as he followed Zero to the table. Zero started eating without talking to him, and the act was starting to get on his nerves. To annoy Zero, he immediately grabbed a bottle and opened it. "If you're still going to ignore me, I'll drink this!" He said the words as if he held a hostage whom Zero cherished so much.

Zero sighed. "If you want one, you can just buy your own. Or are you so broke that you don't even have the money to buy a single bottle of milk?"

"Of course not!" Aido exclaimed and immediately drank the milk. He looked very proud and confident afterwards, like he was able to win against a huge obstacle. Zero watched the blonde in silent amusement while he finished his food.

The two were surprised when someone placed a bottle of milk on their table. Zero looked up and saw Yoru looking at him seriously. Aido looked up too and recognized the guy as the one whom Zero got into a fight against.

"Miura." Zero voiced before he looked at the bottle of milk. "Bribe?"

"Of course not!" Yoru exclaimed in his annoyed expression. "It's a token of my apology. But don't get the wrong idea! Yuuki and the others scolded me badly, and they also told me to apologize. That's the only reason why I'm here."

"_It's a bribe after all." _Aido thought as he looked at the guy. Yoru looked in between embarrassed and annoyed. But there's also a deep tinge of pride in his eyes, and something similar to an apologetic look. _At least he's sincere…_

Zero looked at the milk with creased eyebrows. "Are you sure it's safe to drink this?" Miura's look of outrage was so prevalent that Aido had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing. The guy's face, however, changed from indignation to surprise when Zero drank the bottle of milk straightly. Afterwards, he also took his own bottle of milk and drank the whole of it.

"Neko Kiryuu." Aido muttered as he put his elbows on the table and clasp his fingers. He put his chin on top of them and looked at Zero with a bored look on his face.

"You can talk if you don't steal other people's milk anymore." Zero, having been refreshed, stood up and tapped Yoru's shoulder once. "Thanks for the milk." He said with a serious face before he started walking out of the cafeteria on his own.

"Oy, don't leave me here!" Aido shouted behind him. "You were supposed to force me to leave the premises, remember?" He half ran half jogged his way towards Zero. Just as he passed Miura, he whispered, "I think you're forgiven." He smiled before he went off with Zero. Yoru watched their leaving figures in silence, eyebrows furrowed and cheeks having a faint tinge of pink.

"Why the hell are you following me?" Zero asked when Aido continued to follow him in his stroll. He couldn't jog yet because he had just eaten so he was walking leisurely instead. He put a hand in his pocket and realized he was holding the bottle of blood pills. He tended to bring the bottle along with him unconsciously these past few days. He played it with his hand as he continued strolling.

"I'm not following you. It's just that I want to go that way too." Aido snorted.

"Then go that way. I'll go this way instead." Zero suddenly turned right.

"Oy, Kiryuu!" Aido shouted behind him. He ran nearer when Zero stopped and turned. "…Don't go hard on my belongings tomorrow, okay?" The voice was merely a whisper. "I'll treat you ten bottles of milk if you leave my belongings alone." His serious expression looked so damn funny that the corners of Zero's lips were twitching from holding the laughter in.

Actually, Zero just remembered now that the prefects were supposed to inspect the Dorms every end of the month. Yuuki was also saying something like that last Friday but he wasn't listening much so the explanation about the inspection simply passed his ears, entering from one ear and getting out of the other. And now that Aido had told him about it, he knew he had to ask Yuuki about the details again.

"Sorry, I need to go." Zero said before he turned around again. "And please don't go bribing me. I'm an honest prefect who will report all anomalies inside Cross Academy." What he said just now had a deeper meaning though. _He'd have to report everything… _But it seemed Aido just guessed the literal one.

"Tch. Stingy cat!" Aido blurted before he started dashing away in the other direction with much elegance and grace, just like the vampire that he was.

"Stingy cat, you say?" Zero uttered before he walked towards the Sun Dorm again.

When he entered the mansion-like dorm, he saw Cross sitting alone in the living room, reading something like a newspaper. The Chairman smiled when he saw Zero and the latter slightly bowed his head briefly in respect. When he asked Cross where Yuuki was, however, he found out that she was outside the school, hanging out with her friends again.

"She asked me where you were earlier." Cross said beneath his glasses. "I thought she wanted you to go with her. But I saw you leave the dorm so I told her you were out. Do you want to ask her something?"

"Ah, no." Zero initially answered, but he thought it would be best if he'd ask Cross instead of Yuuki. The girl had already explained everything to him and she would be so damn angry if she found out he wasn't listening that entire time. "Actually, I want to ask about the inspection."

Cross blinked and leaned his head to one side in his child-like way. His glasses dangled in a diagonal angel at the top of his nose. "The inspection? I asked Yuuki to tell you about that… Didn't she say anything?"

"Ah, no. She already told me." Zero was finding it hard to explain.

"Alright, come with me to the kitchen." He smiled before he closed the newspaper and walked into the kitchen. Zero followed quietly, wondering why they had to go there instead of the office where Cross usually talked with him. _Maybe because no one's here right now… _There were only few students living in the dorm, especially in the Sun Dorm, and some of them even went home on weekends. Zero sat on a chair just as Cross sat in front of him so the two of them were facing each other.

"Let's start then." Cross said. "Inspections are done once in a month, but without definite date schedule to prevent students from cheating and hiding the things that are not supposed to be found inside their rooms. The students will only know that there will be inspection at least one or two days before it. The prefects, together with the Dorm Heads, are the ones who will confiscate the things that are supposedly banned. Of course, the prefects' rooms have to be inspected too."

"The things that are banned… What are those?" Zero asked casually. He didn't have a care about those things but he knew he should at least be aware of what he was supposed to inspect the rooms for. All that mattered to him now was that he could use that inspection to get inside the vampires' den and then his mission could continue.

"There isn't much problem about banned things in the Moon Dorm because Kuran-kun will surely take care of everything without mercy." Cross said before he sighed. "The big problem will be in the Sun Dorm. The students tend to take photos and have albums of their idols in the Night Class. Those things are banned. Of course, all sorts of x-rated magazines, alcoholic beverages, and addictive medicines are also banned. There are also many other things that are shocking, and you'll immediately know that they're banned. Yuuki will be with you so you don't have to worry that much." He smiled. "Do you have any more questions?"

"No, my questions were all answered." Zero said.

"Want a cup of milk?" The Chairman asked in childish tone, and when Zero shook his head, his expression became more serious. "Zero-kun, I have to tell you something." Zero looked attentive enough and Cross said what was in his mind ever since Zero came to the school. "I think we need to find the vampire who… turned you." His voice cracked at the word 'turned,' as if he didn't mean to say it like that at all.

Zero's eyes widened. "You mean… Shizuka… Hiou..?" He asked quietly, as if afraid she would come at the mention of her name. "Why..?"

"You received blood from her, right?" Cross asked seriously. When Zero nodded, he continued his explanation. "I think she gave you too little so you will have no choice but to find her. You have to drink a certain amount of her blood to be able to truly live. Without a certain amount of her blood, your body will die, or worse, turn to a Level E even if you keep taking the blood pills. The only thing preventing you from transforming into a Level E is the seal on your neck. And it's starting to weaken because your vampire side is getting more and more powerful…" But the Chairman wasn't looking at Zero while he's saying that.

"Don't worry too much about me, Chairman Cross." Zero smiled. "You just have to put a bullet in my head to stop me."

"Zero-kun!" Cross almost stood up from the chair when he heard just how low Zero's regard for his life was. "Please don't say something like that. You don't have any idea how it will break me if you were to–." Zero looked up just in time to see Cross's surprised expression. It seemed the Chairman caught what he was saying and stopped in the middle of it. "N-No, never mind. If you don't mind, I will ask Kuran-kun to at least locate where Shizuka Hiou is. I'm glad that your body doesn't look like it's on the verge of breaking though, which is kind of surprising. To stay sane for two whole weeks without anything but blood pills is really something."

Zero immediately tensed as he realized why his body wasn't breaking or why his mind wasn't. _It's because of _his _blood… _Kaname was also a pureblood just like Shizuka Hiou. Of course he'd have the power to sustain Zero's body and also his sanity. Without his blood, Zero would've probably already transformed into a Level E due to lack of Shizuka's blood. Kaname probably realized that Zero didn't receive much blood and decided he's the only one who could help. _So that's why that arrogant idiot said he's the one providing _his_ life… _The only question in Zero's mind now was _why… What could the pureblood attain by doing that..? _He didn't know if he could tell Cross that information but he was sure that that's the sole explanation for everything.

But there was one thing bothering him right now. It felt as if… _as if Cross was hiding something… _He didn't know if it was just him or if the thing about Shizuka and him being a Level E weren't the problems for Cross at all. Sure Cross panicked earlier when he said he'd kill himself. But other than that, there was something off about Cross's explanation. He couldn't put a finger on it but he was sure Cross was hiding something, if not entirely lying about it. He had to figure out what 'it' was soon, especially since Cross was being more worried about it than him.

"Zero?" Cross called and Zero looked up again, not realizing he was already looking at the table while deep in thought. "Do you agree to ask for their help?"

"…I-I'll think about it." He answered, still a little surprised at the information that Cross told him. He knew his decision would be that he wouldn't want any kind of help from the vampires. After all, even if these vampires were somehow proving themselves to be a little different than normal bloodsuckers, he was still a hunter and that fact wouldn't change. But Cross looked so worried, and he knew it was sincere, and he didn't want to make the Chairman any more troubled and upset than that.

Cross sighed before he returned to his childish face again. "But please hurry up in deciding because it might be a little late if you keep on taking your time." Zero nodded and the Chairman's face looked a little better.

"I'm going back to my room now." Zero stood up and briefly bowed. "Thank you for your time."

"Likewise." Cross was already a bit more cheerful and Zero didn't know how the older man could go changing moods so easily. Zero received a gentle pat on the head from him before the younger hunter exited the kitchen. He was at the foot of the stair when he heard Cross shouted from the kitchen. "Come down here for lunch, okay?"

"Sure." He answered back. His voice was kind of low but he was sure Cross heard it all the same, what with those hunter senses and all. The young hunter ascended the familiar stairs and entered his room. The jog earlier cleared some of his worries but he was still thinking about a lot of things. First and foremost was his mission. _What would become of it if the Association wouldn't accept any positive observation? What would he report that wasn't already reported? _The vampires here lived quite an idle life and they weren't the type to make troubles… _But Hanabusa was the type to make troubles… _

Not to mention Cross seemed to be hiding something. No, he had no right to judge Cross at all, especially since he himself has so many secrets too. Everyone has the right to keep a secret of some sort, right?

Zero sighed as he gently shook his head. He didn't want to think of many things right now. All he needed to do was complete his mission and everything would be over. He wouldn't have to think ever again. After all, when this mission was completed, he promised to kill himself both as an act of mercy and punishment. He needed to punish himself for being so weak that he turned into a vampire, and he also needed mercy as to not taint his dignity as a hunter. He somehow knew that Cross might not be able to fulfill his promise of killing him, and that would be troublesome.

"_Let's just say I need to protect someone, and you're sane existence is needed for that person's protection. I only need you to exist, stay sane and satiated, and not attack anyone in the Day Class…"_

Zero's mind immediately ceased from working when the words echoed inside it. They were Kaname's words. "I forgot I made some non-sense promise like that…" And now, he had more things to think about. He was the type to give his everything just to fulfill his promises and in return, not taint his dignity as a man. But now that he realized it, he just made two conflicting promises – the one was to kill himself after the mission and the other was to try to live in return for Kaname's blood. _Damn… What the hell was he thinking..?_

He went to the bathroom, took a short shower, and changed clothes. He rubbed his hair with a towel and unconsciously glanced at the mirror. He looked really pale and his eyes were more hollowed than before. His fingers touched the crimson tattoo on his left neck and stared at it for a while before he let himself fall on the bed and sighed. It was so annoying that he had to think of almost every problem he now had. It was making him look ten times older than his actual age, though if other people saw him, they would only see a gorgeous young man with beautiful amethyst eyes and silver hair. _He was surely the busy type… to think of everything all by himself… _He sighed again and let himself fall into a slumber.

_He woke up with the scent of blue roses. When he opened his eyes, two chocolate eyes towered over him and smiled. Zero returned the smile as he looked at the person again. The person's face was blurred but Zero was sure he already saw this person up close before, and not just in his dream. The place was the familiar lakeside in the school. The blue roses gleamed under the moonlight and their scent was taking over everything._

"_Am I dreaming..?" Zero found himself asking to the other. It was the second time he dreamed of this person and he was kind of relieved to see her again even though her face was always blurred to his eyes. The only thing he could see clearly was the awfully gorgeous chocolate eyes that glanced at him once in a while._

_The person merely smiled at his question and her lips formed a quiet "Dreams and realities are always intertwined." Zero watched as she picked a full-bloomed rose and kissed it. She went nearer to where he was sitting and handed the flower to him._

"_It's for you." Her mouth seemed to have said. Zero couldn't hear her voice because she was speaking too quietly. But he was sure of what she spoke of. Now that he thought about it, the scene seemed familiar to him somehow, like he'd seen it before._

"_Thank you." He answered as he took the flower. He too kissed it, on the part where her lips touched it, and that made her chuckle. Up close, Zero realized that her eyes weren't really pure chocolate in color. There's a tinge of crimson in them, and that made her looked even more charming. Her wavy brunette hair fluttered slightly when a gust of wind passed by them. Zero reached out and touched them. He brushed the hair out of her face and guided the soft strands to rest behind her ears. _

"_You're beautiful, Zero." The girl told him and it somehow made him gape a little. It was kind of an out-of-place choice of word for a girl to say that. And that made him all the more perplexed, especially when the hunter was thinking of saying the same thing to the person herself. _

_The girl closed their distance and gave Zero a light kiss on the lips, which made him immediately blush. The girl chuckled, a ringing sound so good in the hunter's ears. _

"_Zero Kiryuu…"_

"Zero Kiryuu." Zero opened his eyes slowly when he heard a voice call him. He was still a little out of it from having the dream and the chocolate eyes up close that welcomed his gaze didn't help in telling him he was in his room, sleeping for at least two hours now. _Those charming chocolate eyes that looked like the ones in his dream… He wanted nothing but to stare at them right now…_ "Do you know, Kiryuu, that it's kind of creepy when you look at me like that?"

Zero's eyes widened when he recognized who the voice belonged to and immediately tried to push Kaname off him. The pureblood was sitting on the side of the bed and was towering over him. His little act of struggle somehow did only a little so he was the one who jerked away. The sight of Kaname so close to him while he was so vulnerably asleep could result to heart attack. _The pureblood was way too close..! _If he was any other hunter, he would've immediately lost it and entered battle mode.

"W-Why are you here!? What do you want!?" Zero shouted half in surprise and half in apprehension. He visibly reddened from embarrassment. It was now the third time that Kaname was in his room, but he was still not used to it. _Like hell he would be. _The pureblood, however, looked amused in his reaction instead of annoyed.

"It's kind of rude to make Chairman Cross wait for you even though you promised to have lunch with him." Kaname voiced in a tone that annoyed Zero even more, not in the kind of way that he would want to shoot the pureblood with the Bloody Rose, but quite close.

Zero looked at the clock and saw that he was late for lunch. _He made Cross wait for him again… _He stood up and looked at the pureblood again. "You didn't answer my question."

Kaname merely shrugged, treating the topic as something trivial. "I kind of volunteered to wake you up since he was so tired of waiting and then I found you lying on your back in the bed, dreaming away while drooling on the pillow." Zero could feel his veins of annoyance pop out with every word that came out from Kaname's annoying but gorgeous mouth. "But I was surprised, Kiryuu. I didn't know you have the habit of sleeping with your hair wet and all. And you even have this innocently cute face… It was kind of charming."

"What do you mean charming?" Zero barked at the pureblood before the hunter left the room, not forgetting to slam the door behind him. He descended the stairs only to hear Kaname's ringing laugh in the kitchen. The sound was very beautiful, except for the fact that the pureblood was laughing because of him. This particular pureblood was really getting on his nerves and annoying him to a very high extent. Kaname stopped when Zero entered the kitchen and amethyst eyes glared at him. Cross chuckled at the two of them and ushered Zero to also sit. The table was ready, filled with foods that Zero never dreamed existed. Of course, most of them were Cross's experiments but they were kind of good.

"Where's Yuuki?" Zero asked Cross, purposefully ignoring the other presence in front of him.

"She's with her friends." Kaname, leaning his face to one side, answered in a way-too-innocent tone even before Cross could form the words in his mouth. The Chairman looked at Kaname and saw that the latter was purposefully trying to piss off the silver-haired hunter. He looked at Zero and immediately saw that Kaname succeeded. Cross sighed, wishing Yuuki would come back soon.

"By the way, Zero…" Cross's face darkened and Zero immediately felt that there was something unnerving about his voice. "A letter came earlier…"

The younger hunter's eyebrows immediately creased and he felt his body froze. _What if it's about his secret mission? _He hadn't reported anything after that first report and he was afraid the Association got impatient. "Does it concern me?" He tried to say casually and continued to eat his meal. Kaname watched them in silence as he too ate quietly. Cross looked really worried and Zero's expression was that of a cornered mouse. The pureblood couldn't see it much because the hunter was trying to hide it but he could feel that Zero was afraid of something.

"Yes, it does." Cross said in deliberate care. He breathed deeply before he said the next words. "Takano-kun and Yagari will visit you the day after tomorrow."

Zero's shock made him lose hold of the spoon and it clattered loudly on the floor. He's wide eyed reflected nothing but fear as he looked at Cross and asked in quietly trembling voice a confirmation of what he just heard. "You mean… Master and Yuzuru..?"

"Don't worry." Cross patted his head. "I won't let them hurt you. I won't even let them get near you." Zero's eyes looked uncertain as he stared at the older male and Cross couldn't help but hug him tightly just to ease his fear. "I promise that, Zero-kun."

"Ahem." Kaname voiced and both Cross and Zero looked at him, at the same time breaking their hug. "Just clearing my throat. A meat got stuck."

"Oh." Cross smiled with guilt. "Sorry about that, Kuran-kun. I might have cut the meats a little too large."

"Ah, no." Kaname smiled as well. "I didn't mean it that way. I was just carelessly swallowing everything I like without properly biting it to pieces, that's all." Zero looked at the pureblood to see if he meant other things when he said that but all he could see from Kaname's expression was a cool smile.

"Oh, I see." Cross answered. They all knew that none of them was the ignorant or the insensitive type. Cross realized that Kaname deliberately cleared his throat when he saw the Chairman hugged Zero, and went to the trouble of explaining things to them. Zero thought that Kaname was hiding something by deliberately explaining his actions, which was very unlikely for a selfish pureblood such as him. Kaname knew the two hunters in front of him somehow realized what he was thinking, that they shouldn't be hugging each other in front of him. Yes, they weren't the ignorant types. But that didn't mean they couldn't misunderstand one another's intentions at all.

Kaname was the type to devour everything he liked. And right now, he had his eyes on Zero, or particularly, Zero's blood. He wanted to have a taste of it so much so that even now, he was barely holding his desire inside him. Kaname wanted to bite him earlier too, when the hunter was asleep. He looked so utterly vulnerable and gorgeous with his innocent sleeping face and his silent even breathing. He wanted to savor Zero's taste inside his mouth too, like what that female pureblood Shizuka Hiou did. His intense bloodlust and desire was burning him from the inside and it was making him a bit of a perverted pureblood.

Blood tastes its best when the person was high in pleasure, and he could think of many things just so Zero would scream in sheer ecstasy and bliss. _Oh, how he wanted to eat Zero… in so many ways. _But he refrained only because he didn't want to be hated by the people he liked. First of all, Yuuki might get angry at him for hurting Zero. It seemed his younger sister had taken it to her mind to take care of the hunter at all times. She also considered Zero as a close friend, and seeing the hunter hurt would definitely hurt her too. Then Cross might get hurt and disappointed at Kaname for laying his hands on Cross's… And then Zero himself would definitely get hurt the most and hate him to the core, not that the hunter didn't hate him now.

He could only stare at the delicious hunter in front of him, _at least for now… _Zero's personality was strong. And he definitely was the type to kill someone who would sully his dignity and pride as a hunter. But aside from that, he was incredibly innocent in everything that the pureblood couldn't help but be amused. _Oh, how he wanted to devour that innocent little hunter…_

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**So, that's it for now. Yeah, Kaname is already showing his true self bit by bit here! ˆoˆ**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Thank you, everyone, for the continuous support! I also thank all the readers who leave a review in every chapter! I love you all! ˆoˆ**

**.**

**Chapter 10**

Cross watched Kaname's expression and he was convinced that the pureblood looked at Zero in quite a different manner than other people. Kaname caught his gaze and merely smiled. Cross then patted Zero's head again. "I'll protect you. So you better finish your meal now!" He voiced the last statement in his child-like manner and it made Zero's worries ease a little. The young hunter ate fast and Kaname watched him in amusement. Cross stood up from the table and prepared milk for the silver-haired hunter. "Kuran-kun, do you want milk too?"

"No, it's the middle of the nigh–, I mean day…" Kaname answered distractedly.

"You like it, right?" Cross smiled at the silver-haired hunter and put the glass of milk on the table beside Zero's now empty plate. Zero nodded and took the glass.

"Thank you, Chairman." Zero answered before he gulped from the glass. He really wanted it right now, especially now that his heart and mind were in disarray. It was calming him down and making him think better.

"Neko." Kaname muttered under his breathed but Zero and Cross, both having keen hearing, heard the word quite well. Zero's thoughts and fears about the day after tomorrow were immediately dampened by the sudden urge to punch some pureblood with a smug grin on their faces.

"You spout the same thing as Aido. You really are his master." He answered, restraining with all his might. He knew he wouldn't win against a fight with a pureblood. He would only look more pathetic. "Cats aren't the only ones that drink milk. And not all cats drink milk either."

"Oh?" Kaname voiced with that same smug tone that annoyed the hell out of Zero even more. "Really now, Kiryuu?" The hunter's annoyed expression was amusing him and he was enjoying how Zero always reacted so strongly when it came to him. He liked how he could change the aloof and cool expression that Zero wore in front of other people.

"Shut up, vampire." Zero couldn't help but say the words. He knew he wouldn't win against a verbal battle with some witty pureblood whose happiness was brought upon by Zero's humiliation and annoyance. Kaname chuckled and Cross couldn't help but laugh as well. After all, it was a very nice tactic for Kaname to take Zero's mind off the subject earlier. He was thankful the pureblood was a very cooperative person right now, not that Kaname ever refused to cooperate with him though.

"Don't tease him too much, Kuran-kun." Cross said in his childish voice and expression.

"Sorry, I just can't help it. Silver-haired hunter-san is a very amusing person after all." Kaname voiced, as if the subject of their conversation was not present at all. He knew that would annoy Zero all the more, and it did. Zero glared at him and he enjoyed it even more. The glare showed how annoyed Zero was, but it wasn't the hostile glare that the hunter wore during their first meeting and it also wasn't the glare that Zero wore the first time he talked to Zero about the matter of drinking his blood. It's somehow refreshing to know that Zero was slowly but gradually warming up to him.

"Why are you here anyway, vampire?" Zero asked in annoyance. "Shouldn't you be sleeping with your rowdy pack?"

"How rude. I'm here to wait for Yuuki." Kaname answered in amusement. If any other vampire said that to the pureblood, not that there would be someone to do so, he would've immediately gripped that vampire's throat and crushed it with his overwhelming power. But it was Zero. And not only was he okay with it, which surprised him a little, he was even amused. Zero was way too vulgar with his words, and that was exactly what Kaname was enjoying. No one had ever dared say something offensive to him and the hunter was the first. Zero's cool expression twisted with annoyance was only too gorgeous for Kaname to gaze at. Zero gave him another glare before the latter drank his remaining milk. Kaname smiled to himself. The way Zero was acting, he would think that the hunter's guard was down even in his presence. _He'd take things slowly, and then he'd definitely, definitely… _He leaned his head on one side and gently put his cheek on his curled fingers. His elbow rested on the table and he wore a delighted smile as he stared at the hunter, or more specifically, the hunter's creamy neck.

Zero's gorgeous neck looked so irresistible and Kaname could only gaze at it while refusing the urge to gulp longingly at the sight. He wanted the boy so badly he could feel his fangs arousing. _The situation's getting bad… _He was playing cool but the more he tried to take his eyes off the hunter, the more Zero's mouth-watering and lovely scent clung to his nose. He knew Cross was already eyeing him in suspicion, probably because of the silent aura full of bloodlust he was quietly giving off, but he was not a pureblood who lived his years in innocence. Cross might know because of his experience, but Zero was still inexperienced when it came to purebloods. And even if Zero could feel that there was something off in the atmosphere, he still wouldn't be able to comprehend that it was Kaname who was causing it.

He smiled to ease Cross's mind. He wanted to tell the Chairman that he was in full control of his thirst, not that he was really thirsty because he just took some blood pills this morning. Cross who was behind Zero nodded in understanding.

Zero somehow felt that there was something wrong about the air surrounding Kaname, and his hunter sense was suddenly on alert. But he wasn't sure what it was about Kaname that was making his hunter side raise an alarm. Kaname's eyes weren't glowing crimson and his fingernails remained short. Zero couldn't see his fangs so he wasn't sure. His experience with purebloods was only with the recent incident with Shizuka Hiou and with Kaname himself so he wasn't really sure what to expect.

But since Cross was with him anyway, and the older hunter didn't seem bothered about the situation, then who was he, a younger hunter, to be bothered by it?

_Anyway, he just have to rely on Cross's instinct on this one. Because Kaname was really a person so hard to read._

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Kaname leaned on the railing of the open window in his room at the third floor of the Moon Dorm, silently looking at the gorgeous view outside. The moon hung in the sky and the scent of overly sweet and delicious blood tickled his nose and filled most of his senses. The blood was exciting him so much he could barely contain himself as he looked at silver wisps down on the ground.

Zero and Yuuki were on their night patrol together. And even though Yuuki was more alert-looking than Zero's laid-back expression, the pureblood knew that Zero was far more observant and vigilant. He was not a hunter for nothing.

_And he was gorgeous tonight too…_

Zero could feel the skin on his nape crawling from the intense gaze that the pureblood from the third floor was giving him and it was annoying the hell out of him. _What did Kaname want from him now? _And yet, he continued to act in nonchalance and tried his best not to fidget too much from the gaze.

"Zero, I'll be going to the opposite side of the building. You should go and see the forested side… if that's okay with you." Yuuki said as she turned around to face him. She added the last lines when she thought he looked annoyed because of her bossy attitude.

"Sure." Zero shrugged and started walking towards the direction of the lake while Yuuki smiled and headed to the other side of the dorm.

Now that Zero thought of it, maybe Kaname was giving him a glare because he was too close to Yuuki? _The pureblood might have thought that Zero would hurt his younger sister. _The hunter sighed as he continued walking. He didn't think that Kaname was the protective older brother type, not that Zero would ever dare lay his hands on the brunette girl. And he remembered his dream again… _Could that girl be… Yuuki..? _Not that he felt anything to the girl… but it was still possible, right?

He sighed before he shook his head again. _He had no time to think about petty things such as love. _All he had to think of now was how to–

Zero's eyes widened at the sight before him. He didn't think he was already so deep into the forested area in just some mindless minute and now he was feeling deep regret that he was so out of it for a while.

"Er… good evening, Zero-kun." Takuma panted, grinning sheepishly at him for being caught.

Zero's face, which was pale from lack of blood and coldness of the night, immediately heated and colored in just a second as he immediately turned around and walked away briskly, wanting to erase the scene from his memory.

"Don't tell Kaname, okay!?" He heard Takuma shout behind him but he didn't answer nor cared. He was too shocked and unnerved to see them in _that_ position. Takuma and… _Senri Shiki, right..? _was in the middle of _that… _naked… on top of one another… on the moist ground in the deep forest… And Zero's face kept on reddening even more that a little more red and he was already glowing in the dark.

"Takuma…" Senri pulled the blonde again when Zero was already out of their sight and hearing. They had been to _busy _that they didn't even notice his presence in the vicinity.

"Let's continue where we left off, shall we?" Takuma grinned mischievously as he kissed his lover torridly once more and thrust inside Senri again.

Zero shuddered when his overly keen hearing caught the unmistakable screams of pleasure and climax, and he could do nothing but walk even more briskly just to get away.

No, he was not that ignorant. Yuzuru sometimes made him watch porn movies and made him read x-rated magazines, a secret from Yagari of course, but that was that. He had no interest in sexual life or any of the sorts, even if they also made him go to the bathroom and spend many minutes there. _And seeing it in actuality was kind of… shocking._ On top of that, Takuma and Senri were male vampires, not that he had any discrimination about gender. It's just that their way of doing _it_ was a bit more wild and bloody. _He was just… shocked. _

He breathed deeply to calm himself down before he walked back in front of the Moon Dorm again. He didn't want to know what more lay in forested areas at night, and he didn't want to risk walking into some intimate act of lovemaking anymore.

He looked at the tall gates and walls of the Moon Dorm and decided to just circle the area a bit. He knew he would see Yuuki on the other side, and he walked towards it. He was quite confident about his control tonight because he just had blood last night. _Real, thick, and luscious Kuran blood…_

He gulped as he remembered the sensation of biting the pureblood's creamy and slim neck. His fangs immediately throbbed at the sudden memory and he couldn't help but lick his lips. The sudden presence just some meters behind him made him turn and see the object of his imagination in full flesh.

In the shadowed area, under the trees, the pureblood stood. Zero couldn't help but feel that the vampire looked more daunting and stronger when he was in the shadow, as if blending in the darkness.

Kaname arched an eyebrow at the annoyed expression thrown to him by the hunter. He was sure he didn't do anything wrong, _at least not yet. _"You look flushed, Kiryuu." His eyes wandered from Zero's pale hair that almost glowed under the moonlight to his gorgeous face and charming eyes, to his luscious lips, to his pale and creamy skin, to his delicious neck… The pureblood inhaled the hunter's intoxicating scent softly. _Zero was still so different from him even though they were both vampires now._

The hunter looked so beautiful under the gleaming light of the moon, more radiant and more utterly irresistible. _While he… he was only beautiful in the darkness. _Because the light would make others see his impurities and insecurities. _Maybe that's the reason why he's interested in Zero…_

"Shut up." Zero growled in half annoyance and half embarrassment when Kaname pointed his situation out. It was embarrassing enough without any comment from the pureblood. And then he remembered, "And I'm not flushed."

"Hmmm… Do you know that you're bad at lying, just like Yuuki is?" Kaname merely shrugged before he walked out of the darkness and into the light of the moon too. He knew Zero wasn't the type to judge him by physical appearance alone so it was okay to be seen under the moonlight too. Not that he needed the hunter's reaction in everything. _Or maybe it was Zero's natural charm to attract everything… _

Zero arched an eyebrow when Kaname stopped a few meters away from him and closed his eyes. It's as if the pureblood was a statue, unmoving and lifeless. And yet, _and yet, _Kaname still looked so utterly breathtaking and gorgeous. _That_ the hunter couldn't deny.

Kaname opened his eyes after a while and spoke. "Kiryuu, you better go and see what Yuuki is doing now." He was glad that Zero didn't make any harsh comment on his presence under the light, but he had to make Zero leave now.

_The hunter just smelled so good…_

Zero's eyes widened when he saw that Kaname's eyes were now crimson red and he unconsciously took a step backward. "What the..?" The pureblood sighed and closed his eyes again.

"Go and see Yuuki now. I will return to the dorm too." He voiced quietly, wanting to assure the hunter that he was still in control.

_There… _And Zero would surely leave.

"The first time you asked me to drink your blood…" Zero voiced. Kaname opened his eyes and stared at the beautiful view in front of him. "You told me it's for the sake of protecting someone…"

"Did I say that?" Kaname arched an eyebrow, feigning innocence which made Zero growl under his breath, amusing Kaname all the more. Zero was just so fun to tease, a lot more fun than teasing Aido or Yuuki. He closed his glowing crimson eyes again.

Zero ignored the pureblood's comment and continued. "Is that person… Yuuki?" The younger male knew that he was right, though he didn't think Kaname would be the type to care so much for his younger sister as to make a hunter of all people drink his blood just so that hunter wouldn't attack Yuuki.

Kaname sighed as he smiled, eyes still closed. "Yes, why? Are you going to use that information against me?" Zero growled again, which answered the question. "I don't want someone so bloodthirsty near my younger sister. Since I can't kill you, by Chairman Cross's order, there's no way I will let you roam free when you're hungry, especially in the Sun Dorm."

Zero was about to say something more when he noticed that Kaname was already panting a little. "Oy, don't tell me–"

"Don't worry, Kiryuu-kun. I have more control over my thirst than you give me credit for. I will not attack any Day Class student so you don't have to glare at me like that." The pureblood immediately answered when he noticed the hunter's tensed aura. He could feel it even though he couldn't see the hunter's expression.

"Aren't you supposed to be drinking those pills and Night Class students'..?" Zero asked again, though he didn't finish his question. There was no need because he knew Kaname would understand it anyway. He was curious as to why Kaname could get hungry even though he had pills to drink and many Night Class students to drink from.

Kaname chuckled. He knew just what the hunter thought of him. "Kiryuu, I am not so disgusting as to drink from other students just because they will not say no to me. Most Night Class students have their own lovers so I can't drink from them too."

Zero still looked at Kaname warily even though he was sure that Kaname had no intention of attacking him. _Heck, his red alert signal wasn't even blaring. _He could see that the pureblood was having a hard time though, just from the twitching of his muscles and his fingers.

The hunter remembered the words Aido said to him and now he could somehow understand what Kaname was trying to say. "You mean the blood sharing thing?"

Kaname looked surprised for a while, not because the hunter knew but because Zero was still talking to him even now and was not attacking him, before he nodded. Blood sharing meant that the lovers could only drink blood from one another and no one else. And it would be sheer arrogance if he was to partake in a blood that was already owned by someone else. But he still didn't know if he could surely trust Zero 100% so he wouldn't voice it.

Vampire lovers could only drink blood from one another. It meant that if the other died, then the other would surely go after him. It's like killing two birds with a single stone. And he wasn't about to reveal the information to a hunter of all people. _He still has his sanity._

"Anyway, go back to your dorm so I can leave." Zero said when the silence stretched for a long period of time without any of them talking.

"Still wary, I see." Kaname smirked. "Don't worry, Kiryuu. The only one I will devour if I ever lost control… will be _you_."

Zero's eyes widened at that, but before he could even react, Kaname was already out of his sight and was already inside the dorm. _That damn pureblood! _The hunter immediately shivered, not from fright, but from the way the words escaped from Kaname. _They sounded too sensual even to his ears._

"Zero-kun?" Yuuki's voice rang in his ears and Zero idly turned around to face her. She beamed when he didn't look annoyed. "Uh, I saw you talking to my brother earlier. Is everything okay?"

Zero nodded his head and his silver hair immediately looked glowing from the sudden change of angle. "Everything's alright." _He hoped._

"There's no activity on my side. Shall we go back to the dorm to get some good night's sleep?" She asked again, looking hopeful.

Zero smiled a tad. "Yeah, let's do that."

She chuckled before she clutched his arm and the two of them walked back to the Sun Dorm. The walk was silent but it was not uncomfortable. The hunter would sometimes look sideways and his gaze would fall on Yuuki. _So she's the one Kaname has been protecting all this time…_

Yuuki seemed to have noticed that Zero kept on glancing at him and returned his gaze. "What's wrong?" She asked innocently.

Zero shook his head. "Nothing." And yet, he couldn't keep his curiosity at bay. "Uh, how come you are Kaname's younger sister when you're human?"

Yuuki blinked at his bluntness several times before she chuckled. "Is that what you've been thinking all this time?"

Zero looked away. "No, never mind."

She chuckled again. "I… Zero-kun, if I told you I was a pureblood too, would you be disgusted at me? Would you hate me like how you feel with nii-sama? Would you shove me away..?"

Zero looked at her and saw that her expression looked sorrowful. He sighed. _How could he..? _"Well, you're human now so there's no need to." He didn't say it, but she understood. He would surely treat her in the same way as he treated her brother now if she was still a pureblood.

She smiled sadly and clutched Zero's arm tighter. "Then there's a silver lining in me being a human now, huh…" She chuckled before she spoke again. "You see, I was once a pureblood too… But… something… happened… And I became human. I can't go back to being a pureblood anymore because that side of me was already killed. It wasn't merely sealed. It was forcefully killed. It means… that if nii-sama tries to turn me back, I will not be a pureblood… but a Level D about to turn to Level E… Nii-sama doesn't want that… so I remain human."

_Something happened..? _Zero's mind reeled at the information. He was glad that Yuuki was now human and not the pureblood that she once was. But if he looked at it from her point of view, suddenly becoming human when you were once a powerful pureblood should have been deeply humiliating, not to mention sad and awful. _Just like what happened to him… _And somehow, Zero knew that he and Yuuki had one more thing in common now, having an identity stolen from them, without any chance of going back.

_No, wait…_

"Yuuki, you said you were turned from pureblood to human..?" Zero suddenly stopped walking and walked in front of her. "Do you know how something like that is done?" He wanted to become a hunter again… _How he wanted to reclaim his lost self…_

Yuuki looked confused at his sudden interest, but she didn't ask. She looked down and bit her lower lip. "I couldn't remember much about that time… but… it was Oka-sama who turned me into a human… She sacrificed herself…" And before she knew it, her tears were already falling from her eyes from the sudden grief. "She sacrificed herself… That's why it cannot be undone anymore, because it was sealed by the life of the one who casted it. All that was left of me when my vampire side was sealed was my body, and that's where Oka-sama's life flowed. She flowed into me… Oto-sama too… He would've turned nii-sama human back then… if only he wasn't… wasn't… k-k-killed…" And she continued sobbing, not able to continue talking anymore.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Zero looked at her sobbing form and hugged her gently. "I didn't know…"

"No, I'll continue…" She looked up at him, pleading. It seemed it was the first time she would be able to let it all out. "I became human, leaving nii-sama as a vampire… That's why… that's why he had to let me go… He let Chair–, Tou-san adopt me as a daughter… because he had no choice…" She sobbed. "Zero-kun… my family… they all suffered because of me… Our parents died because of me… nii-sama too… he is suffering because of my existence… I know he feels so alone right now…" She wiped her tears before she sobbed again. "But… but I will live… I will continue to live for nii-sama, for Tou-san, and for my sake too… and for our parents' sake… I want to continue living…"

Zero closed his eyes as he listened to the soft sobs that escaped Yuuki's lips. Yes, he didn't know anything. He didn't even think that vampires had families too, and they could die too, just like any other human. And that they also feel deep anguish and grief at the death of their beloveds. He had been so blinded by his ideals as a hunter that he didn't even think vampires were also creatures just like humans were. _So that's why Kaname protected her so much… It was because she was the only beloved he has now…_

He gritted his teeth as his hold on Yuuki tightened unconsciously. Not even he would be able to voice out anything about his family, and yet he kind of forced Yuuki to tell him. _It was so shameless of him…_

_At least… at least… Kaname and Yuuki have each other… while he had no one… And it was all his fault…_

It was pathetic, really. A whole family of hunters was killed by their own son… _And the agonizing part was the fact that he couldn't even remember what happened… _He knew Yagari must have sealed his memories about it so he wouldn't end his own life… But the mere fact that he was the one who caused their deaths remained. He didn't know why he felt that when he had no memories of it, but he just knew it was all his fault.

After a while, Yuuki whimpered from the tightness of the hold, which Zero immediately loosened. He was not a vampire just for show. It must have hurt enough for her to choke out a gasp.

"Sorry…" He mumbled. She shook her head and smiled before she uttered a quiet 'thank you', though for what he didn't know. They walked quietly for a while, before Yuuki suddenly talked again. "You see… changing isn't so bad once you learned to accept it. Once you forgive yourself for your weakness, then all the burdens that cripple you will be greatly lifted. Once you forgive yourself and accept what happened as a fact, then your suffering will slowly decrease, until you'll realize that there's really nothing wrong with you. You just… changed." She looked thoughtful of her words and Zero couldn't help but feel that those words weren't for her at all.

When they got back to the dorm, everything was already quiet and Cross was already probably asleep. They said their goodbyes and Yuuki ascended another flight of stairs while Zero walked on the second floor corridor. When he got back to his room, he immediately slumped down the bed from exertion, both of his body and his mind. He knew they would be having an inspection tomorrow, and that would be doubly taxing than any other night of patrolling, especially the inspection in the Sun Dorm.

His mind drifted to the more pressing matter at hand, which he had somehow forgotten due to several events earlier. _Yuzuru and Yagari… _If they would visit him the day after tomorrow, then he wouldn't have any excuse to not see them, unless he was already dead by that time. _And he just thought of one way to solve his problem… _Not a smart one but killing himself would surely solve all of his problems.

_And yet he knew he couldn't. _He couldn't afford to kill himself when he just saw how Yuuki kept on trying her best to live, and happily at that, even though she was not a vampire anymore. He could die, but that was when he could no longer control the vampire instinct that seemed to be eating him from the inside. But without that, he would at least try his best to survive… And also, because he still had a mission to do.

He was afraid that Yagari and Yuzuru would find him, but he was more afraid for them to see how he gets along with other vampires… It would definitely bring shame to his name as a hunter…

He gritted his teeth and let his frustration out from it before he fell asleep soundly.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

_Cross watched as the married hunters hugged each other in grief and agony as they sat on the bed inside their bedroom. The woman had the same light brunette hair and eyes that he had while the man had silver hair and amethyst-colored eyes, a silver metallic gun stuck in his belt._

"_Please… please…" The woman kept on crying as she begged her two male companions and Cross could just watch them from the door, not having any willpower or courage to step inside. "Just kill me… Shiro… Nii-san…"_

_The man named Shiro shook his head. "No… please… don't leave me…" He looked at her pleadingly and then her protruding belly before he shook his head again. "I can't kill both you and the baby…"_

"_But… I don't want him or her to be born as… as…" She started but was not able to finish it when Cross interrupted her words._

"_If you want…" Cross said from the doorway. "I can give you blood… my blood…"_

"_No, nii-san!" She immediately shook her head, eyes brimming with tears and waist-length hair disheveled in all direction. "I don't… want to be a monster…"_

"_I'll let you drink from me." Shiro said with determination, leaving no room for discussion. She cried in his arms again and he hugged her tight. "Kaien-nii-san, I believe this shouldn't go out." He added._

"_Of course." Cross nodded and he watched as she once again began begging her husband to just kill her before the brunette male left the room._

Cross's jolted out of his bed when he woke up. He clutched his head and he found cold beads of sweat forming on it. _It's that dream again… _He sighed and stared into nothingness for a while. It had been over ten years now since those two died, and yet they still continued to haunt him in his dreams sometimes, especially now that he could always see Zero… He sighed again when he remembered the silver-haired teen. It was so tragic that he had to experience everything that he was experiencing now. _He wished he could just tell Zero everything…_

He was about to go out of his room and into the kitchen when he heard the soft padding of feet outside. Zero and Yuuki already returned. As usual, they were quiet when they came back, but that didn't mean Cross couldn't hear them if he was near the door. The walls might have been soundproof but his door wasn't so much in case there was an intruder.

When he heard that the two were already upstairs, he quietly walked out of his room and made some hot tea in the kitchen, trying to dispel the bad dream of the past. It somehow saddened him that Zero couldn't remember anything, but he knew it was for the best. And besides, he didn't know if Zero would really appreciate the truth about his true identity.

And with all the things that Zero was facing now, it would be too much if Cross told him those things too, the hunter's parents, his twin, and the tragedy that happened that night ten years ago. _If Zero heard everything now that his mind was in chaos, he might really lose it…_

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Zero woke up feeling light-headed. The sun shone brightly outside his closed window and he was thankful that he had Cross buy him Venetian blinds. He opened his eyes before he sat up on his bed, feeling tired though he just woke up.

He just had another dream of Cross, Ichiru, and his child self. This time, the three of them were in some house he didn't recognize, but the dream showed how comfortable he was in that house. He was playing some computer games together with Ichiru while asking the older male about his mother, but Cross never answered any of his questions. And just like any other nightmares he usually had, the house was suddenly engulfed in huge flames and the three of them burned together with it.

Zero gritted his teeth. His usual dream about fires were only when he was with Ichiru. But Cross's appearance and the change of setting had him lost. He couldn't remember anything at all, but he had a feeling that the cause of his family's death was fire. _Maybe it was the reason why he hated the damn sensation of burning._

He gritted his teeth in anguish and frustration. _What the hell happened that night ten years ago..?_

After some minutes, he already went to the bathroom and took a short bath before he dressed in his uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw that he somehow became even paler than normal, or perhaps, paler than when he was human. _Lack of blood..? _Nah. He just had blood two nights ago. He leaned his head to the right side and the seal on his left neck showed, crimson and prominent. It could pass as a tattoo, really, or even a fashion sentiment, but it still reminded him of his loss.

He traced a finger on it as his eyes followed his movement. He was too deeply engrossed in his musings that he failed to recognize the familiar scent of the older hunter approaching until the man was just behind the door.

"Zero-kun..?" Cross called from the door before he knocked three times. "Are you awake now? The inspection will start in a few minutes."

"I'm awake." He answered as he looked at the door and let his hand fall on his side.

"Can I come in?" Cross's voice changed a little, having a more serious tone to it than earlier.

"Sure." Cross already opened the door before Zero could even finish the one-word answer.

The older hunter closed the door behind him and sat in the chair just beside the bed where Zero stood before he let out a long, heavy sigh. "Zero-kun…" Cross looked uncertain for a while before he stood up again and approached the younger male.

Zero, watching all the fidgeting and the nervous sighs coming from the older male, arched an eyebrow. He somehow didn't like waiting when it looked like Cross was about to break some news about the end of the world. "A… a letter came… from the Association, Zero-kun…"

Zero, even though he knew he shouldn't, almost always freeze and have his breath hitch some notch at every mention of the word 'letter'. He suddenly felt his hands clammier than earlier. "What kind of letter?" He was thankful that his voice didn't break.

"About your mission, I think." Cross's eyes turned more serious and Zero couldn't help but feel that the older male knew what had been happening all this time. "You should read it."

Zero's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the black envelope that Cross brought out. He just sent a report yesterday afternoon after his lunch with both the idiotic pureblood and Cross. Of course, the letter informed the Association of the happenings, however mundane, in the school. He told them of the fact that vampire lovers tended to only drink from their partner so the students were most likely safe from them.

He didn't tell of Yuuki's relation to Kaname though. He somehow thought that it was personal so he didn't include it in his letter. Well, the letter from the Association must have been sent some days before, but he still couldn't help but feel dread at the sight of it.

And when he opened it and read the golden scriptures from the gold inked pen of the President, Zero knew that his dread now had a reason.

"What… is this..?" He stared and continued to stare at the letter.

"Is it confidential..? Or do you want to tell me..?" Cross asked in uncertainty, unsure if he was allowed to meddle in the younger hunter's affair.

Zero's expression darkened as he clutched the letter tightly with his fist. He looked at Cross and shook his head to indicate that he had to solve this on his own, though he really had to know what the letter meant. "Chairman…" He called quietly when the older male was about to leave him alone and in peace. Cross stopped and looked at him, waiting patiently on what he had to say. "Is there another hunter here… in Cross Academy?"

Cross blinked at the sudden question before he immediately shook his head. "You're the first and only hunter to study here, Zero-kun."

"I see, thank you." He bowed, indicating that the conversation ended there. Cross didn't say anything anymore but merely smiled sadly and left, but not before reminding Zero once again of the inspection.

When the older male left, Zero sighed in exasperation before he sat on the bed and reread the letter again. It was a warning, telling him that he shouldn't withhold information concerning the vampires or they would have no choice but to relieve him from the mission. _Hell, like he was even withholding any information! _The letter said that an informant told the Association of his apparent closeness with the bloodsuckers, the hunter cringed at the use of word, and they wished that he made it clear to them what that meant. _Now, he was close to the vampires? _He might have talked to them and chatted with them but he wasn't their friend! _He wasn't even trusted! _And now he was starting to lose the Association's trust too… _But his mission was to spy for goodness' sake! How could he spy if he wouldn't try to get "close" to the vampires?_

And to say that he was withholding information when he had only been here for two weeks was a bit too much. Did that mean that despite his decision to go here alone, he was actually trailed by someone else? _Really, what's going on..? _It would look like he was the one being spied instead of the other way around.

He was here trying to not let his guilt consume him from the inside out while doing his best to gather information and yet all the Association could say was that he was not doing a good job? _Did they even know how dangerous, and not to mention how hard, it was to gather information in the enemies' den? _It's not that he was complaining or anything, he just wanted to have some breathing space. The President told him not to rush things and not to report immediately, and now he was told to give more satisfactory reports? _How ironic…_

He sighed before he stood up, gathered his belongings, and stuck his Bloody Rose in his belt behind him so it wouldn't be too obvious. After all, many things could happen in an inspection, especially in the Sun Dorm. _Those monstrous girls would surely try to jump him again…_

When he walked out of his room, he saw Yuuki and another teenage girl in the living room talking to one another. He found out that she was actually the Sun Dorm's Head. She was a lot taller than Yuuki and her features were strong as well, not that Zero had anything against it. He just thought that the girl looked really… _scary_.

"Zero-kun, this is Motoko-san, the Sun Dorm's Head." Yuuki smiled. Zero bowed in greeting and the girl did the same.

Afterwards, Zero and Yuuki didn't even have to do anything. In short, Motoko was ruthless.

She confiscated everything. And he meant everything. She would rummage every closet and drawer and even look behind mirrors and picture frames. She would go to the bathroom and inspect everything there too, not that the students ever thought of hiding their things there. _Now he was glad that he brought his gun with him. _She would've confiscated that too if it was left in his drawer.

After the inspection, the students who tried everything to get away were more exhausted and weary than the two prefects who merely watched as Motoko grabbed everything in her sight and threw them in the huge box where the confiscated items were placed.

The inspection took almost half a day and it was already early afternoon when Motoko, and Zero and Yuuki, finished. They ate a simple lunch which was made by Cross before the two headed out to go to the Moon Dorm.

They were on their way when Yuuki spoke to him. "Zero-kun, please be patient with the Night Class students." She smiled timidly. "They might try to annoy you or tease you because you're a hunter… but they won't hurt you. Nii-sama will–"

"I know." He assured her. He knew that she was trying to tell him not to do anything unnecessarily, like firing the gun in his belt, or something like that. And he also knew that Aido and the others might be annoying to the fullest, but they were not the type to suddenly attack without provocation, which was not Zero's forte. _But if it was his blood… _Then the hunter guessed that was a different matter. He knew that Aido and the others were the noble-blooded vampires who had more control over their bloodlust. _But if the others…_

_Damn… _Zero cursed under his breath. He had never been bitten by anyone except by that pureblood woman. He knew that it would be disastrous if he lost it in front of Yuuki… _Well, Kaname was there… so surely he would try to at least restrain his minions… right..?_

"Zero-kun?" Yuuki called.

Zero looked at her before he looked in front of him and saw that they were already in front of the Moon Dorm's gate. "Shall we go inside?" She nodded and they entered the gate.

They were greeted by an old man, who looked like the gatekeeper, and asked for their purpose. Yuuki did all the talking while Zero's hunter side blared in alarm at the sudden heaviness in the air surrounding the dorm. _He could feel their bloodlust even though he was outside… damn… _It would be the first time he'd be able to enter the dorm and it was making him anxious.

Yuuki walked first and Zero followed. When he passed by the gatekeeper, however, the old man spoke. "Do try to be careful while in there, boy." He gave Zero an odd look. "Your scent is pretty intense for an ordinary hunter."

Zero didn't comment but he kept his eyes on the old man while he passed. He couldn't help but feel alerted at the words, not that he wasn't already alert in the first place. But the mere fact that a mere human, for he was sure the gatekeeper was human, was able to smell his scent, it meant that his scent was really that _intense_, as the old man worded it.

And as they entered the huge and grand living room, Zero's eyes widened at the magnificence of the tiled flooring which had intricate designs, the chandeliers, the vases lining up the stairs, the huge and comfortable-looking sofas, the marble staircase, and everything rich-looking. _Damn rich bastards…_

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**This is it for now, people! Thank you for reading and please leave some comments! ˆoˆ**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ren-sama's Notes:**

**I feel very inspired with your wonderful reviews! I especially thank those readers who review on every chapter. You know who you are! Thank you very much! (*bows deeply*) ˆoˆ**

**Now for the next chapter… Enjoy!**

**.**

**Chapter 11**

"Welcome to the Moon Dorm, Prefects." Both Yuuki and Zero turned their heads when they heard the voice, though the hunter already registered the presence even before the figure's arrival. Aido bowed in a prince-like manner and welcomed them with that smug smile of his.

"That smile will be wiped out once the inspection starts." Yuuki whispered to Zero and the hunter saw the blonde's eyebrow twitched. Of course, even a mere whisper could be heard by a vampire, especially in a very quiet place like the Moon Dorm.

There was no other figure in sight but Zero knew they were almost surrounded. He didn't let his anxiousness go noticeable. It seemed Aido noticed though. "Don't worry, Kiryuu. Everyone received a debriefing last night. No one will even dare show hostility to the two of you. Kaname-sama made sure of that." The blonde's voice was so quiet that not even Yuuki who was beside them heard. But Zero, having both hunter and vampire senses, heard it just clearly. He nodded in silence and Aido seemed satisfied enough.

"Anyway, I'll be your tour guide right now while Kaname-sama is busy. He'll be here later." Aido said in his usual voice.

Zero observed Aido's actions towards Yuuki, and he could see that the blonde was not showing any respect or anything close to that. _It seemed the fact that they were siblings was hidden by Kaname…_

"Oy, Cross! Are you listening to me?" Aido stomped loudly on the tiled floor. "I said I will be the tour guide. Why the hell are you walking ahead of me!?"

Yuuki flicked her hair and smiled sweetly as she turned around. "Because you're slow, Aido-senpai."

"What?" Aido walked right beside the girl, towering over her. And thus, the endless bickering that wouldn't end until Kaname arrives started. Zero, for the first time in his life, wished that the he'd hurry up so Aido and Yuuki's mouths would stop.

The blonde showed them to different parts of the dorm, which was basically like the Sun Dorm's structure, except for the thicker walls, grander atmosphere, and larger structure and area. Of course, that was because there was at least twice the number of Night Class students staying in the Moon Dorm than the number of students staying in the Sun Dorm.

Kaname arrived several minutes after the so-called tour. Zero was already in the huge dining hall together with Aido and the other vampires, and he was very ill-at-ease, what with all the bloodlust that he could feel in the air. There were many long tables in the dining hall and all of them were filled with Night Class students, among whom were still stretching and yawning because the inspection was in the middle of the night for them. But the sight and scent of a delicious and thick hunter blood was enough to wake everyone up.

Zero was just so glad that he was sitting in the table together with the other nobles who had more control and reserve. By now, these nobles were already familiar with his scent that their eyes weren't glowing crimsons at the sight of him anymore. But the other vampires with lesser nobility in them still couldn't help but feel intense urge to sink their fangs in a beautiful hunter neck and drink delicious hunter blood. Yuuki was eating quietly while Zero was merely poking his food, not in any way interested in eating happily and ignorantly while he was being perceived as one of the foods on the table. And besides, the two of them had just eaten in the Sun Dorm before they went to the place so he was unsure how Yuuki could eat so much while his stomach still felt heavy with the earlier meal.

"Didn't anyone teach you that poking your food is a bad manner?" A voice spoke from the doorway and all of them immediately stood up from their seats and bowed down to their waist in greeting, except Zero and Yuuki of course who stayed in their seats. Yuuki smiled sweetly at her older brother while Zero merely glared for being scolded by a vampire about manners.

Kaname looked at the last two people in amusement and he gave his kind smile to his younger sister before he smiled smugly at the hunter, whose glare darkened even more.

"Shall we all eat before the inspection?" Kaname asked as he sat at the head of the long table. Everyone nodded, including Yuuki this time, except Zero. The hunter somehow felt that the meal was like the last supper for everyone, grand and elite before the execution of the inspection.

The other nobles and vampires glared at Zero for being rude to their leader while Takuma, Kain, and Aido, who were more used to the attitude that the hunter displayed not just to Kaname but to almost everyone, merely shrugged. One would think that Aido should've been the first to react badly at the prefect's rudeness and offensive attitude but they were surprised to see no reaction whatsoever. The blonde only looked hungry for food and also looked sleepy enough to yawn in front of their Leader.

In the middle of the lunch, a beautiful maiden in the Night Class uniform appeared just behind Kaname and bowed down to her knees. "Kaname-sama."

Kaname immediately stopped eating and looked over his shoulder. "Eat with us, Seiren." He offered, though everyone knew it was not a request. The girl nodded and took a seat far from her master, which was an act of humility.

Zero did not mind her anymore. She seemed the kind of vampire whose only point in existence was to serve her master. She didn't even take a glance in his direction and he was glad that he could not feel any bloodlust in her. _It seemed she had more control than the others… And she seemed more like a ninja than a vampire, what with all the behavior she exerted. _

"Kiryuu."

No. What he was thinking about right now though shouldn't be something as trivial as a ninja-vampire but the letter that was sent earlier and the fact that his master and his friend would visit him tomorrow. _The end of the day was nearing and he still had no plan about it whatsoever… _He knew it might be a good idea to know from them what's happening in the headquarters. But he knew that even before he could ask them, a bullet would already be sent in his direction without any explanation. _It was depressing to think about… _And yet he knew he had to. If he didn't, then not only he but everyone, Cross and the others, would be subjected to punishment. _After all, the purpose of the Association in sending him was to try to dig some dirt on Kaname and Cross's motives and actions… so they could do something about the connection of those two. _

"Kiryuu."

The Association wanted to destroy both Kaname and Cross. At least that's how it looked to him now. He sighed inwardly. If he was still human, he would never doubt the Association like this. He wouldn't even question the presence of another hunter in the area without his knowledge and he wouldn't be suspicious of anyone with hunter presence in them. Heck, he wouldn't even be sitting in the same table as the vampires, eating while discussing the weather and such mundane things. _He really had changed… _

"Kiryuu, I didn't know you can sleep with your eyes open." Kaname voiced in amusement when the hunter continued to stay in his own world, musing about the end of it. Zero blinked and found the other noble trying to hide their grin. He immediately knew that Kaname said something totally annoying, even though he hadn't heard it. He gave the pureblood a death glare which Kaname only accepted with more amusement.

"Zero-kun, are you alright?" Yuuki asked in concern. She's the only one oblivious enough to not notice the vacant expression he wore throughout the entire meal.

"Yes." He answered quietly.

"Maybe he has a stomachache from overeating?" Kain asked his lover and Ruka sniggered behind her hand.

"No, no! He's experiencing the major shock of his life from too much vampire presence!" Takuma chirped happily, obviously ignoring the glare that was sent in his direction by the hunter.

Zero scowled when they continued to muse loudly about assumptions on his actions. And before he could think twice about it, he already blurted out what he was really thinking. "Just so you know, I'm not the only one who should be wary of tomorrow's event." And he made an exit before anyone could say anything.

The nobles had been told that two hunters would visit the school tomorrow to see how Zero had been fairing. Now they knew what had been bothering the hunter all this time. It seemed it was not the vampires' presence that he was wary of now. It was the hunters'.

"How ironic." Aido voiced quietly to himself, though everyone who heard him actually agreed.

After that lunch was the bloody inspection that took almost the whole afternoon and early evening. Some vampires were even more of a rule-breaker than the students in the Sun Dorm and it was they all could do to carry all the confiscated items. Of course, some vampires, like Aido, even cried over the loss of their belongings. Zero actually chuckled at the blonde's childish acts.

The hunter found out that aside from few illegal drugs and alcoholic beverages, some porn DVDs and magazines, and some stolen pictures of their Dorm Head and other nobles, the vampires had no other things to hide, at least nothing that he could see. What amused Zero was the fact that even Kaname's room/office was totally ransacked by Yuuki and he saw some magazines about the latest fashion, books about chess and martial arts, some books about business, and other stuffs. The pureblood had a neat room, though his books were all over the place.

"Kaname-senpai, you should try to stack your books in order sometimes." Yuuki observed. "They're all over the place." Kaname merely chuckled at her as she continued to inspect even the tiniest details.

Of course, not even the so-called powerful pureblood was without any vices and Yuuki immediately confiscated some obviously expensive wines and other alcoholic products and some not-so-decent books about mating and worldly pleasures. All the while, Yuuki kept on scolding her older brother about proper etiquette and Zero couldn't help but chuckle a little. _Serves the smug pureblood right._

He looked outside the glass window and saw, to his amazement, that the spot where he usually hid and slept could be seen from where he stood. _Did Kaname sometimes see him sleeping there? _Well, it's not as if there was anything amusing about seeing a hunter sleep, except when one had an ulterior motive.

Kaname watched as Yuuki continued to search his bedroom for anything suspicious while he sat at the couch in his office and watched her from the door connecting the bedroom to the office. His gaze was caught by Zero who moved from the bookshelves to the window and observed the scenery from there. He would've said something, like not helping Yuuki in the inspection, but he was once again not able to say anything.

He watched as Zero's gaze traveled from the ground below towards the forest beyond the walls of Moon Dorm. His expression was calm, devoid of his usual scowl, and Kaname could do nothing but stare. _The hunter was indeed very beautiful… _Not to mention that his blood, even now, excited the pureblood beyond words. He was glad that no one disobeyed his strict order last night even though he felt extreme bloodlust in the dining hall earlier.

Zero's fringe swayed slightly when the hunter leaned forward. His slim but long pale fingers leaned on the glass as he continued to gaze at the outside scenery. Kaname was having the unexplainable urge to wrap his own fingers around those slim ones. _Was he losing it because of the intoxicating scent that continued to play with his senses even now? _

"Nii-sama, you're drooling." A whisper just beside his ear brought the pureblood out of his musings and he looked over his shoulder in shock. No one was able to sneak up on him without his notice. _Was he so absorbed in staring at the hunter that he failed to recognize an approaching presence behind him? _Yuuki's eyes were wide with childish excitement and teasing. "Are you that surprised that I managed to sneak up on you?"

Kaname sighed inwardly before he smiled. "Not really."

"It's because you're too absorbed in _other _things that you failed to notice me just now." Yuuki smirked playfully, which only made her older brother chuckle.

Zero looked at them and saw that Yuuki hadn't confiscated anything more. He returned his gaze on the forest just as he heaved a soft sigh. It seemed there wasn't anything worth reporting in the inspection just now. And it took them so many hours just to be done with it. Kaname's room was the last to be inspected and now that it was almost finished, he could already do what he wanted.

"I'll head to the Sun Dorm first." Zero voiced before he walked towards the door.

"W-Wait, I'll go now too!" Yuuki hurriedly said before she kissed her nii-sama goodbye on the cheek and followed Zero outside the room.

Kaname watched with mild interest as the bond between Yuuki and Zero was slowly getting stronger. Though he knew that Zero didn't look like he held some romantic feelings for Yuuki, at least not yet, he still couldn't help but feel slight annoyance at the thought. He's possessive of his younger sister. But he knew that he was slowly being possessive of Zero now too, though in a very different manner.

He sighed as he inhaled the scent that still lingered in the air. _Pure, intoxicating hunter blood… _

_How he wanted to have a taste of it…_

He licked his lips as he closed his eyes. He needed to calm himself now. He didn't know if it was even possible, but he thought and felt that the scent of Zero's blood was somehow getting sweeter and more addicting to vampire senses. _Was it possible that the hunter's blood was somehow becoming more and more of a delicious intoxicant?_

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Zero lay on his back in his bed as he mused about the would-be events tomorrow. Yagari and Yuzuru were supposed to go and check on him. _Not to mention that there was someone spying on his every action… Not to mention (again) that the Association was having doubts about his loyalty… Not to mention (yet again) that he could feel himself getting closer and closer to the vampire world in a way too different manner than a hunter's… _

_How he wished that tomorrow would never come…_

And as his eyes closed and he drifted into a sleep filled with agonizing nightmares, he knew for sure that his dream this time was a lot different than those other times he dreamed of it.

_His younger self stood there in the middle of the room, frozen in his spot and blood trickling down his forehead from some wound he didn't remember having. His little hands were filled with blood and he knew that he was almost soaking in them._ Everything was filled with so much blood… so much red… so much death in the air…

_Aside from that, _everything was on fire.

_The whole room burned brightly, or darkly, because it seemed the fire had turned into black and all little Zero could do was cover his mouth with his bloodied hand to prevent himself from inhaling too much smoke. His every sense was filled with the sound of crackling and burning, his nostrils flared at the scent of the blood in his hands. _It's not his blood… _And he cried tears which were almost crimson in color while he licked the thick liquid off of his fingers._

_He continued to sob as he felt more and more of his blood oozed down from his forehead. He didn't know how much time had passed until he felt the fire died down. And at that moment, he could only think of one thing. _All of them were dead…

_At that thought, the fire in the room immediately burned alive again, as if responding to his inner turmoil. Zero cried his eyes out as the fire engulfed him, not that blackish color this time but a bluish one. The impact of an explosion caused by the fire made_ _the little boy stumble to the ground on his stomach. And as he tried to clear his eyes from the sting of blood and tears, he saw his brother, his younger beloved twin, standing by the hallway with eyes empty of emotions and warmth. _His only brother whom he loved and cherished so dearly…_ But the thing that made him scream until his throat was dry wasn't the fact that Ichiru's cold eyes were burning with deep hatred, but that his brother, together with everything else, was burning._

And Zero woke up with a start.

His forehead trickled with cold sweat as he heaved a pant. He knew it wasn't a simple dream. _Was it part of his lost memories? _It was too strange though, not to mention too vivid. He was about to sit in his bed when he noticed something strange. _His bedroom was glowing._

_What the?_

He looked around for the source of light. He knew he turned off every light when he slept. Or rather, he didn't turn it on when he came to his room last night. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts about Yagari and the Association to even think of something else. It was still pre-dawn so it's still rather dark outside, making it impossible for the light to come from the window. _And besides, his curtains were drawn._

He sat up straight when the smell of burning cloth assaulted his senses and he saw, to his deep shock, that the doormat at the foot of his bed was burning, and rather brightly at that. He stared, dumfounded, at the red-orange fire that lazily ate his mat before he was snapped out of it. "Shit!" He immediately bolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom adjoining his room. He grabbed a dipper filled with water before he went back to his bedroom and poured everything down on the mat rather hastily.

The contact of fire to water made a hissing sound and the fire slowly died. But Zero continued to stare at it as if it would be on fire again. _What the hell just happened?_

He knew it was close to impossible for the mat at the foot of his bed to just burn like that on its own. _Something, or someone, must have done it. _He narrowed his eyes and tried to feel if there was a presence of someone else in his room without him knowing. The thought of the hunter who could hide his presence immediately came to the silver-haired hunter's mind, and it somehow unnerved him that he couldn't feel any presence in the room other than his. He crouched down and looked at the remains of the mat that Chairman Cross had so adamantly put in his room.

From the looks of it, the mat just started to burn several minutes before he woke up. _Though he knew his question should be not 'when' but… 'how'?_

He sighed as he felt the drowsiness that threatened to overwhelm him again. He looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand and saw that his assumption about the time was indeed true. It was just past 4 in the morning.

He walked towards his bed and lay back down on it again. The earlier incident was strange no matter how he tried to picture it in his mind. If someone was a perpetrator in that mat-burning-incident, then surely Zero had at least woken up even in the slightest of movement? _Well, there's no use in thinking about it now that his mind was trying to just shut down on him. _He heaved one last deep sigh before he drifted into sleep again, dreamless this time.

When he woke up next, the light from the outside was already threatening to enter from the slits of his curtains and Zero couldn't help but groan in discomfort just at the sight of it. He squinted his eyes as he tried to recall why he was still so sleepy, but then he remembered having that strange dream and that burning mat. He sighed as he willed himself to sleep again. He knew that if he just closed his eyes, he would succumb to his drowsiness again.

What he wasn't expecting was the hurried knocks on his door before a loud voice from the outside rang in the room. "Zero-kun! Are you awake?" _It's the Chairman._

"Ungh…" He answered sleepily before sighing and drifting into sleep again.

"Zero-kun!?" The Chairman's voice, the teen sleepy mind noted absentmindedly, was somehow filled with a slight panic. "Zero-kun, it's time for lunch. We have to prepare for Yagari and Takano's arrival too! They called earlier and told me they will arrive an hour from now."

And with that, every ounce of sleep left the hunter's mind as he bolted out of bed and went straight to the door. He opened it up and saw the morning smile of the Chairman, no, it's already lunchtime. However, the worry and apprehension on the young hunter's face almost wiped every ounce of that smile.

Cross pouted before he pinched Zero's cheek, much to the younger male's surprise and embarrassment. "Don't go making that face just after seeing me!"

The teen sighed as he willed himself to calm down a little, though it was proving to be quite a difficult task at the moment. "Chairman, do you plan to let them see me like this?" He asked straightforwardly, and hoped against all odds that Cross would shake his head.

Cross's answer, however, had him thinking for a while. "Do you want them to?" Zero closed his eyes as he wore a pained expression on his face. "I can hide you from them and not let them see you. I might also have to use some force since Yagari is a very stubborn person. But will you like that?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while now…" Zero mumbled, eyes still closed. "Will it be worse for you if they found out I've become a vampire in your territory?"

Cross smiled as he patted the younger male's head. "You don't need to worry about me, Zero-kun. I can protect myself… probably." He chuckled before he continued. "What I am worried about is you. I don't want you to get hurt… both physically and emotionally."

"Chairman…" Zero knew that more than physically, he would be hurt emotionally. He was still afraid of seeing them now that he's become like this. So afraid, in fact, that he wanted to go and hide in the middle of the lake just so they wouldn't see him or even feel his presence. But he knew that if he did that, and so selfishly, not only would his master and Yuzuru think that something was off. They might even suspect that Cross and/or Kaname had done something to him.

He needed them to know what really happened… _But how..? _They were hunters, and one loyal to the Association at that. _Would they believe him..? Or would they think that he now changed sides and was together with the vampires..?_

"Zero-kun?" Cross called when he noticed that the younger male had gone quiet for a long while now. "Do you want to meet them? To at least tell them your situation?"

Zero's uncertain eyes opened, looked at brown orbs for reassurance which was almost immediately given, before he nodded. "Will they believe me if I tell them what happened?"

Cross furrowed his eyebrows before he smiled unsurely. "Well, knowing Yagari… I'm sure he'll blame everything on Kuran-kun and the others." He sighed as he patted Zero's head. "Don't worry. I'll be there to tell them everything together with you. Though I still doubt they will take the news quite calmly… If they started attacking, don't hesitate to run!" He tried to make the last statement as a joke, and it would've been a bad one, but it nevertheless made the silver-haired teen smile a little. "And run as fast as you can while I hold them off, okay?"

"Thank you, Chairman…" He sighed as he prepared himself, mentally and emotionally, and maybe, just as the Chairman said, physically too. _If they knew of his situation, would they report it to the Association? Would he be relieved from his mission..? No, would he be relieved from being a hunter?_

"We should eat lunch now! We mustn't let a cute girl like Yuuki-chan wait for us!" Cross chirped just as he led Zero towards the door and closed it behind them.

Now that Zero remembered it, today was supposed to be Tuesday. _He's supposed to be in class. _"I forgot I have class." He mumbled.

Cross chuckled. "Yeah, I was reluctant to wake you up in case you were tired from the inspection yesterday. Yuuki-chan went to class this morning but she went back here to eat lunch."

When they descended the stairs, Zero immediately smelled the mouth-watering scent of delicious foods. And he just realized how hungry he was.

The meal went by without much silence now. Yuuki was used to talking with her mouth full even in front of Zero and Cross was just as enthusiastic a talker as his adoptive daughter was. The two really made the perfect combination as father and daughter. Zero, as usual, ate his meal quietly, though talking once in a while to make some comments here and there.

"Zero-kun, you didn't go to school earlier!" The girl pouted as she looked at Zero, waiting for his explanation.

"I overslept." He answered before shrugging, as if skipping class was not that big of a deal for him.

"Zero-kun, you should make yourself a model student!" Cross huffed indignantly in his childish manners once again, making the young hunter sigh. _And it was just earlier when Cross told him that he didn't wake Zero up on purpose… _Really, how many personalities were inside Cross anyway?

After that, Cross insisted that Yuuki go back to school lest she wanted to be late. And no matter how much effort the girl gave to make Zero come to school together with her, it had been all in futility. Cross just then proved how much more stubborn Zero was than Yuuki could ever be.

"So you chose to stay here and meet them head-on." Cross said with an uncertain smile. The two remained in the dining table while drinking the tea that the Chairman prepared just after Yuuki left for school. "Are you prepared, Zero-kun?"

Zero nodded, though he voiced, "I can never be prepared no matter how much time is given to me. I can just accept whatever wrath they wish to give me after seeing my state." He looked at his pathetic expression on the surface of his tea and he couldn't help but sigh. _Was he really this cowardly?_

"I won't let them hurt you, Zero-kun. I will do my best to protect you, and not even Yagari will be able to lay a hand on you." Cross said, and even if the younger male wasn't looking at him, the teen knew that the older hunter was wearing a serious expression. It warmed Zero up inside. _How he wished he wasn't on a mission that could destroy Cross's smile… and also his life…_

"Thank you, Chairman." Zero smiled a little, though somewhat strained. And then he remembered something. "By the way, do you have fire alarm here?"

Cross tilted his head to the side before he blinked. "Uh… yes, I think. But that only works for huge fires." He fidgeted before he chuckled. "You see, sometimes I tend to make the stove or the pans burn and it's not nice if the alarm almost always rings, right?" Zero couldn't help but roll his eyes, a first. "Why did you ask?"

"Nothing..." The teen answered. Cross looked at him meaningfully before the older man accepted the answer.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

Kaname was sitting in his chair while doing some paperwork for the Council, though his mind was wandering in some far-off places. Even though it was mid-noon, it was almost like a midnight to him and it was harder to concentrate on boring subjects like the Council.

Cross had asked him to investigate what really happened that night when Zero was turned to a vampire. And even with the intelligence and Seiren by the pureblood's side, information was still scarce. He could hardly see anything wrong in the movements of the Council that night, not to mention that Shizuka Hiou's escape from the custody wasn't reported at all.

_Everything was too quiet… just too quiet that it was even more suspicious…_

Even on the hunter's side, there wasn't much movement that night, except Zero's departure. Although, Kaname couldn't really get much information on their part simply because of the main fact that he wasn't part of the Hunter's Association and there were information that could only be attained by a hunter. _Zero said that a hunter was partly responsible for what happened… _Not to mention the suspicious activities of the Level Es in the area. _It had never happened before, at least starting from the time when the pureblood started making the whole town and also school under his protection._

Right now, because his whole attention was on Zero, he even went to the trouble of asking Seiren to investigate the teen's past, not that it was hard to obtain for someone like him.

The whole Kiryuu family died one night ten years ago because of fire, and only their eldest of the two sons, Zero, managed to escape the tragedy. He was immediately taken care of by his master Toga Yagari and became a full-fledged hunter at the young age of thirteen. But that's all there was to it. _It's as if all information concerning Zero was erased or hidden by someone. _And Kaname was just the type to dig more, even if it turned out to be his grave, just to satisfy his curiosity.

_He wanted to know more about Zero…_

He wanted to know what happened during that night ten years ago. What caused the fire that killed Zero's family? Was it accident? Or was it caused by someone? Was it a vampire's fault? Or was it some hunters? Or just some random human? What caused him to survive, and alone at that? What happened to him before and after? The pureblood knew that Zero was taken by Yagari. But why? Wasn't Cross enough? He couldn't, nor would he try to, understand how the Hunter's Association worked.

Kaname already knew what Cross's role in Zero's life was. But he still couldn't imagine the young hunter living his life without any memory of what happened to him. The brunette could only imagine now how Cross felt every time Zero would look at him without any recognition on his face. It seemed, according to Cross in one of their more personal conversations, that Zero could only remember bits and pieces of his childhood. _Much like how Yuuki was right now…_

Of course, the pureblood wanted to know what happened that night two weeks ago too. Why were there Level Es in that area in the first place? Who was that hunter who shot Zero? Why was Shizuka there and how she ended up there of all places? Why was the time of Zero's departure different from the time Cross was informed of? _Somehow, he doubted everything was mere coincidence. _

He wanted to know how Zero reacted to both incidents – that one ten years ago and the one two weeks ago. _Did he cry? Did he scream in fright and anguish? Did someone help him cope and lend him their shoulder? Or did he just fight everything all on his own?_

He sighed as he closed his eyes for a while, momentarily forgetting about the existence of the paperwork in front of him. Zero's face, presence, and scent were all he could think of right now. He leaned his head on the headrest of his chair and let his mind wander all it wanted, since it's not allowing him to concentrate anyway. _And what do you know? All it wanted was to wander all the way to the Sun Dorm, to at least try to know what the hunter was doing right now. _That thought alone made him reeled up for more questions_._

He wanted to know what the hunter usually thought about while having that scowl on his face. What he usually did on his free time and what he liked doing except maybe hunting vampires. What he thought of about the school, Kaname, Yuuki, Cross, Aido, and the others. He wanted to know why Zero liked milk and how it became his favorite. What other dishes or desserts Zero liked or what he usually ate aside from that pill and Kaname's blood.

He wanted to know who Zero's friends were and how close they were. Or how much Zero let others see his smile and his other expressions.

Kaname wanted to know how Zero fought against Level Es then and how he tried to fight them now. How his muscles moved underneath his clothing and how he looked when he's ready to kill. How the hunter reacted to certain things and how his face looked like when he's embarrassed, or flustered, or happy, or in love. How he looked like when he's smiling or laughing. How he looked like when he's high in pleasure, _or when the brunette's fangs were deep inside him… How his blood tasted… especially when high in pleasure. How much he would writhe in so much pleasure once Kaname was drinking from him. How his moans and screams sounded like. How his lips, his neck, his throat, his skin, his whole body tasted. How–_

Kaname growled under his breathe at the way his mind was going out of control the moment he let it rule. He opened his eyes, glowing crimson with bloodlust, and stared at the ceiling above him, though not really seeing it. He licked his lips absentmindedly, savoring the taste of what his mind could only try to imagine. _How had he let himself become so obsessed with the hunter?_

_And not only that, it seemed he did not only desire Zero's blood now… but his body as well. How his mind and body crave to have at least a taste of both._

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**

The train stopped at the train station and every attention was caught by two passengers who walked out of it, one a good-looking young man with light brunette hair and sharp emerald eyes while the other an older man with strong built and physical features. Both his hair and eye had a dark shade in them. One of his eyes had a bandage and, judging by the way his expression twitched every now and then, the wound was pretty recent. They looked too out of place what with all the black trench coats and heavy-looking clothing underneath even though it was the middle of the day. The sun was a prickling ball of fire and heat as it burned brightly up in the sky too.

Their coats swished as they walked in a very cat-like manner – swift, precise, graceful, and quiet. On their backs, underneath the trench coats, were the guns that they usually used to hunt vampires. Each of them had two guns and a silver knife tucked in their belt, though no one would even be able to realize that fact because the trench coat was so damn thick no one knew where it ended and where the body started.

"Tch. The air here smells horrible." The older male sniffed with a scrunched up nose. Since he was almost on the same league as the legendary hunter Kaien Cross, his senses were particularly more sensitive than most hunters. The younger male beside him only chuckled at the obviously foul comment. "I wonder how that brat's doing now."

"So… uh, how do we get there again, master?" The two continued to walk aimlessly until they were at the outskirt of the city, facing the woods beyond. His quite cheerful expression was slowly turning into a scowl. "Don't tell me we're going to walk five kilometers…"

"Shut up, Yuzuru." The older male said as he lit up a cigarette. He exhaled out some smoke from his mouth before he answered. "I told Cross to meet us half way. He'll be here any minute now."

And just as he finished saying the words, a pink car was on its way to the two males' location, which is the waiting shed where a certain silver-haired hunter also stopped by in order to wait for the rain to turn into drizzle just two weeks ago. The two males looked at the bright pink car with sour faces just as they wished it wasn't the car that was supposed to take them to Cross Academy. And it seemed some gods or goddess decided to play with them today as the car slowly halted in front of them just as its tinted glasses rolled down, revealing a grinning male with light brunette hair and eyes.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other, Yagari!" Cross beamed brightly at his friend just as Yagari scrunched up his nose again. The man in the car turned his attention to the younger male and beamed again. "And you must be Takano-kun. Nice to meet you, I'm Kaien Cross, the Chairman of Cross Academy." Yuzuru bowed in politeness before he smiled as well.

"Nice to meet you too, Cross-san." He said, stifling his laugh at the sour face of his master.

"You smell like _them_ now, Cross." Yagari scowled before he shook his head. "Anyway, I believe this isn't the place for that." He took the handle of the door to the passenger's seat, the one just beside the driver's seat, and opened it. "Let's get going."

"As impatient as usual I see." Cross observed with a smile. "It seems you haven't changed at all." He added the last statement when both Yagari and Yuzuru had already seated themselves comfortably in the car. The youngest male was in the backseat, looking at the two males in front of him with amusement.

"And you haven't changed at all." Yagari lit another cigarette, having just finished his other one earlier. "You still associate yourself with those bloodsucking monsters." Cross's grip on the steering wheel suddenly tightened and the movement didn't escape both Yuzuru and Yagari's eyes, though no one commented about it.

"So, how's Zero?" Yuzuru asked in an attempt to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere in the car. "I hope he's not being his usual aloof and hostile self." He chuckled at his own comment. Both Cross and Yagari knew what he was trying to do. Yagari merely grunted in return while Cross was the one who answered with a beam.

"I can't say he's not being aloof and hostile." He chuckled too. "But he's made some friends in school too. Some of them are even females."

Yuzuru's eyes totally widened before he broke out a laugh. "Zero? Are you sure it's the same Zero that I know, Cross-san?" He asked with teary-eyed.

Cross suddenly looked proud, and Yagari already knew it was once again about his adopted ex-vampire daughter or something. "Yuuki is a very nice girl! And not even Zero's heart can stay cold towards her!" Yuzuru grinned at that. "And there's also Kaori-chan, Motoko-san, and Rika-san."

"Why do I feel like he's suddenly become a womanizer?" Yagari muttered under his breathe before his eyes darted towards the Chairman. "Your influence, huh…"

"You're rude! Zero-kun isn't a womanizer! And I'm not a womanizer either!" Cross pouted childishly and Yuzuru laughed again.

"I see you're calling him that now, huh." Yagari pointed out and Cross smiled before he nodded.

"By the way, what happened to your eye?" Cross asked without looking at him.

"Just some accident while I'm on a mission." Yagari answered with a shrug.

"It isn't like you to be wounded while on a mission." The Chairman pointed out.

"It's because he's too distracted during our mission last week." Yuzuru smiled. "Zero said he would call the moment he got to that school but he never did even after a week. Master was so distracted that a Level E managed to sneak up on him and scratch his right eye. And thus, after another week, we decided to just visit him." Both Yuzuru and Cross chuckled at that, much to Yagari's annoyance.

They turned around a corner and were finally in the town proper again. The two visiting hunters turned their attention on the crowd outside the street and pondered how these people could go about living in idleness when there was a horde of vampires in the school nearby. They saw the children playing and running with one another while grown-ups were sometimes scurrying for work or other important things. The street was too busy with all the shops and business going on. It was lively and warm in an overall view, unlike what they first assumed what with the place being the den of a pureblood and some noble vampires.

They reached the outskirt of the town and entered a long road filled with forested areas on both sides, though the trees were a lot thinner than the forested area that separated the town from the city earlier. Not far from them were two huge gates, bearing the symbol of Cross Academy – a full-bloom rose from the bird's eye view.

"So this is the school where Zero is studying now, huh…" Yuzuru mumbled to himself as he watched the huge doors opened on their own, letting the car in.

Cross sighed as he saw how Yagari and Yuzuru suddenly tensed at the atmosphere filled with vampires. He knew it wouldn't be easy for the two to act a little civil towards Kaname and the others, even just for formality. And now he knew he needed some reassurances before he let them inside the Sun Dorm to see Zero.

He stopped the car and the two were about to get out when he voiced his thoughts. "I believe you two should give me your weapons first." He said with a smile as he held out his hands. Both knew that even though he was smiling, he was actually quite serious. "I don't want my students fearing the presence of people having weaponries inside the school."

"You mean you're afraid that we'd go and kill every last one of your vampire students." Yagari answered sharply, though he didn't intend it. When Cross remained serious, however, he could only sigh as he handed in his guns. He took out the knife but he didn't give it to the Chairman. "I can at least keep my knife, right?"

Cross sighed as he nodded before he looked at Yuzuru who started taking out his weapons as well. "Thank you for your cooperation." He smiled in a strained manner before he let the two hunters out of the car.

"If I knew weapons aren't allowed here, then I shouldn't have wasted all those agonizing times just to hide it from the inspections in the train station. I should've just left it at home and brought my knife alone." Yuzuru breathed, feeling like his insides were about to come out from too much alert signal from vampires. "Ahh… I can't believe Zero is able to last here for two weeks now without anyone dying. I now wonder if he's even able to sleep soundly at night. Poor Zero…"

Cross also went out of the car and looked at them with a serious face. "Don't go attacking anyone without provocation, Yagari, Takano-kun. And I mean anyone. If you don't do that, I'll make sure to drive you two out of this–"

"Right, right. So where's the kid?" Yagari cut him off before the Chairman could begin his annoying lecture again. Cross had already lectured them about that on the phone when the raven told the brunette that he would be visiting.

Cross sighed before he answered in a voice so strange Yagari immediately knew there was something wrong. "He's inside the dorm." Yuzuru also stiffened a little when he felt that there's a vampire presence inside that dorm.

"Is he okay?" He asked, eyeing the Chairman suspiciously. If he learned that something bad happened to Zero, he definitely wouldn't stop until he had his revenge.

"Let's go inside." Cross voiced as he guided the two hunters inside the Sun Dorm.

.

.tbc.

.

**Ren-sama's Note:**

**Another chapter finished! Haha! I know many of you might not be a fan of Yuuki (I'm not too) so I'm trying my best to make her less annoying in this fict without becoming too OOC. I hope it's working.**

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me your comments! ˆoˆ**


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